On Friday, April 5th at 3:00pm, the Cross-Campus Learning Collaborative will host a free event at the State House to mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The event will showcase Rhode Island native, Kate Ryan's Signed, X, a photographic documentary of the lives of survivors of sexual violence. Ryan, a New York City-based human rights journalist and photographer, will be featured as a discussion panelist alongside other survivors, advocates, and local artists.
Young adults, parents, and adults who work with young people are encouraged to attend and learn about the prevalence of sexual violence and intimate partner violence are in Rhode Island, and to make a personal connection by reading survivors' candid stories, which reveal the long-term and rippling impacts of sexual violence.
From depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, to substance use disorders and other addictions, these are issues that all communities face. Attendees can expect to gain a deeper understanding of trauma, ways that they can more effectively support survivors, and how to prevent sexual violence. Survivors may also find it helpful to see that they are not alone in their healing from the trauma of sexual violence.
The event was organized by the RI Cross-Campus Learning Collaborative, a group of sexual violence prevention staff from 11 Rhode Island colleges, with support from Day One and the Rhode Island Department of Health. It is sponsored by The Deborah DeBare Domestic Violence Prevention Fund, administered by the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence and established by the Rhode Island General Assembly (R.I.G.L. § 12-29-12).
This event is free, open to the public, and refreshments will be provided. Please register at https://bit.ly/2K1vEgJ.
WHO -State Representative Theresa Tanzi -Kate Ryan, NYC-based human rights journalist and photographer, and creator of the Signed, X project -Jane Johnson, co-owner of SurvivorsSpeakRI, a legislative advocacy and education organization -Melina Freeman, leader of the RI Student Collaborative for Sexual Violence Prevention -Somali DaSilva, domestic violence and housing advocate, Sojourner House
WHERE Rhode Island State House State Room 82 Smith St, Providence, Rhode Island
WHEN April 5, 2019 3 p.m. (Panel to begin at 3:45 p.m.)
Additional resources for sexual violence: Rhode Island Student Collaborative: https://riscinitiative.wixsite.com/risc
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/sexualviolence/prevention.html
Rhode Island Department of Health: http://www.health.ri.gov/violence/about/sexual/
Day One: https://www.dayoneri.org
RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.ricadv.org/