#SAAM Week 4: April 20 – 26
Communities Act Together
Focus: Equipping communities with practical tools and strategies to take collective action in preventing sexual abuse, assault, and harassment. Blog Post by Tatianna Garcia, Sexual Assault Counselor/Advocate.
Sexual Violence effects everyone. If you’ve been following SARCC for a while, (or even just this month) then you may have heard that once or twice before. But we say it loud, and we say it often because it’s true. We know that an issue so big can be overwhelming, but hopefully, throughout this Sexual Assault Awareness Month you have noticed a trend: a problem that effects everyone takes everyone to solve.
This means that the problem is not for any one community, agency, or individual to solve! Communities act together, and here at SARCC, we do our part by equipping Prevention Education staff with numerous curricula and programs that span every age-group, are evidence-based, and are FREE to individuals and community partners. For more information about these programs, you can reach out to Julia Wecker (Lebanon) at jwecker@sarccheals.org or Clarissa Geary (Schuylkill) at cgeary@sarccheals.org
BUT…
For every way that SARCC can help, there are 50 ways you can utilize your own role in the community to prevent sexual violence AND help strengthen and build resilience across the local landscape. Not sure how? Let me help!
Volunteer
One of my favorite lessons in adulthood was that the interests I had as a child didn’t have to disappear just because I got older. When I am trying to decide how to engage with my community, I ask myself what childhood activity I’d like to bring back. For me, this may mean coaching a local cheerleading team!
If you enjoy event organizing, we are always looking for volunteers for our Community Health Councils in both Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties. If you enjoy helping others learn, you can volunteer at ¡WEPA! to help others learn conversational English. If you are passionate about helping young mothers, Mentor A Mother is a fantastic way to help young mothers begin building their village! There are so many ways to turn your interests into a volunteer opportunity. If you are unsure what opportunities are available, try connecting with local non-profits that interest you to see where they need the most help. Chances are: if they aren’t taking volunteers themselves, they will know who is!
Participate in Local Gatherings
Spring has spung, and Summer is JUST around the corner. Local businesses have started advertising their warm-weather activities and theme nights. Festivals are rolling out their plans! Grab a friend or take on a new adventure solo. Find out what’s happening in Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties, and build community surrounding the things you love!
Still Sound Too Big?
I’ll tell you a secret: the best way to prevent sexual violence and build a strong, resilient community is to just be a part of your community. Too many of us don’t know who our neighbors are, and we don’t think twice before ignoring flyers at the grocery store telling us where the fun is happening! Stay connected. Start a conversation with your next-door neighbor instead of pretending you didn’t see them also taking their trash out. If we stay connected to one another, we begin to create two things: a safety net and a forcefield. A safety net for those of us who will inevitably stumble (and it could be ANY of us!), and a forcefield to prevent the trauma from spreading, and to prevent new traumas occurring as a result.
The way you show up for your community doesn’t have to result libraries that are named after you or statues with your likeness. (Although…that would be cool!) Use your network to spread kindness and support. Your engagements can be big or small; they can include 20 people or one person; they can last hours, or they can last moments. Every positive connection you make is important and impactful, and it makes a difference in the way our community experiences and prevents sexual violence.
This Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we at SARCC challenge YOU to show up and show out: connect with your community in three (3) ways that you have not before. Then challenge 3 of your friends to do the same. If you want, you can tell us about it on Instagram! Tag us @sarccheals and use #CommunitiesActTogether to show us how you connected with your community!
