PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—University of Mary Washington collaborates with other Virginia campuses to raise awareness virtually for Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and many institutions of higher education across the nation take this opportunity to raise awareness and publicly advocate on behalf of survivors of sexual violence. Universities and colleges across the state of Virginia have historically hosted events locally, but many of these important events have been canceled due to the new social distancing safety measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virginia Campus Taskforce (including University of Mary Washington along with Old Dominion University, Radford University, University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, Virginia Tech, and William and Mary) will host a #TakeBacktheNet virtual event to empower survivors of sexual violence and their allies to share stories and support one another through Zoom. This virtual event will be on April 7, 2020 from 7 – 9 pm. The goal of this event is to bring survivors across the state together in a new and innovative way and to help students move from victim to survivor to thriver; taking control over their lived experiences. Beyond this #TakeBacktheNet survivor speak out, universities this April will continue to lead a wide range of initiatives to prevent sexual assault. These include social media campaigns, educational programming, and various forms of advocacy. SAAM is organized nationally by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).
WHO: University of Mary Washington
WHEN: April 7, 2020 from 7-9pm EST
WHERE (the webinar): https://cwm.zoom.us/j/652981691
SURVIVIOR SHARING REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/takebackthenet
CONTACT: Talley Center for Counseling Services (Eve Kagan (ekagan@umw.edu) and Melissa Palguta (mpalguta)) or Center for Prevention and Education (Marissa Miller (mmille23@umw.edu))