Sexual Violence Prevention Education

At SACASA, we believe that sexual violence is progressive, learned behavior, and that it can be prevented by a community’s commitment to addressing the problem. The Community Prevention Education and Outreach Program offers sexual and relationship violence prevention education and training for youth and adults, including professionals and parents.

Our Goals:

• Use facts to replace myths about sexual violence.
• Educate the community about how survivors are affected--personally, socially, and economically--by sexual violence.
• Explain how bystanders can safely interrupt behaviors that can lead to sexual and relationship violence.
• Help participants understand and enact attitudes and responses that are helpful for survivors.
• Encourage participants to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.
• Change social norms to create a culture in which rape is not excused or tolerated. 

All of our trainings and programs are offered without cost.

Please contact Stephanie Arendt, Senior Prevention Educator, for information about youth programs (520-327-1171 x120, sarendt@arizonaschildren.org).

Peer Educator Training Program

In collaboration with local high schools, the program is offered as a for-credit class. The class meets twice weekly, and readings and homework are assigned. Students who successfully complete the class earn one-half elective credit per semester. The course is based on the most recent research in the field of sexual violence prevention.

Peer Educators learn about bullying, sexual harassment, relationship/dating violence, and sexual abuse and assault. They think critically about how socialization and popular culture affect tolerance for sexual and relationship violence. They learn skills for responding to a disclosure of sexual violence, and for safe bystander intervention in risky situations.

Peer Educators learn how to deliver a six-session sexual violence prevention curriculum to their peers. They plan lessons, review curriculum, and practice public speaking. They work in teams and divide the work cooperatively. By the end of the semester, each team teaches the entire curriculum to at least one classroom. Peer Educators serve as sources of information and support for their fellow students, friends, and communities, and gain skills they will use for a lifetime.

SACASA staff and trained volunteers teach the Peer Educator class, assign and collect class work and homework, serve as coaches and mentors, and are present during all classroom presentations by Peer Educators. At Rincon High School, counselor Brenda Kazen acts as our program liaison, and submits attendance and grades. SACASA provides all of the course materials and program supplies. Parents and guardians are welcome to view the curriculum in our offices at 1600 N. Country Club. The Peer Educator training program is made possible by grants of CDC funds from Arizona Department of Health Services and by the Unidas Program of the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona.

For information about participating in the program, please contact Stephanie Arendt, Senior Prevention Educator (520-327-1171 x120, sarendt@arizonaschildren.org) or Rowan Frost, Program Supervisor (520-327-1171 x121, rfrost@arizonaschildren.org).

Hey Baby! Art Opposing Sexual Violence & Street Harassment

The “Hey, Baby! Art Opposing Sexual Violence” Project is a youth-led art exhibition series to address street harassment and sexual violence. It uses art to oppose all forms of sexual and relationship violence while raising awareness and solving the problem through community discussion. Art submissions were judged by a panel of involved youth who also created the displays and host the exhibitions. All art relates to the theme of opposing street harassment or sexual violence, including sexual harassment, homophobia, rape, sexual abuse and relationship violence, or empowering survivors.

Throughout Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, works by from local artists were displayed at several exhibition spaces  and continue to be available online through the “Hey Baby!” Facebook page. Copies of the art were distributed at the exhibits and attendees participated in youth-facilitated discussions about the impact of sexual violence. At each exhibition, community members took copies of the art in the form of zines, patches, buttons, posters, and postcards to share the message and artwork with others, and through discussion raise awareness and find solutions to the issues of street harassment and sexual violence. The “Hey, Baby!” project is funded by a grant to the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault (SACASA) from the Every Voice In Action (EVIA) Foundation.

For information about the program, please contact Stephanie Arendt, Senior Prevention Educator (520-327-1171 x120, sarendt@arizonaschildren.org).

SAFE STREETS AZ & Safe Sites Youth Street Safety Project

Public or “street” harassment is an under-recognized and unaddressed source of violence against LGBT youth. Because it is usually anonymous and random, public harassment creates a ubiquitous climate of constant stress and fear. It is frequently verbal but may have a physical component. Street harassment is often normalized as part of daily life for many youth, and information on incidence is not available.

SAFE STREETS AZ is a public harassment safety project that engages LGBTQ youth in measuring the extent of public harassment, analyzing its impact on their safety, and developing effective solutions. Our focus is on collecting quantitative data via text, email, and Web 2.0 tools such as social networking sites and mapping. We will use the information to identify tactics and techniques to help youth manage public harassment safely and receive support when needed. Project resources include a blog (http://safestreetsaz.wordpress.com) where victims of harassment can share their stories and receive support from each other and adults.

Safe Sites are businesses and other organizations that allow youth experiencing harassment to seek short-term safety on their premises. Participating organizations identify themselves by posting a Safe Sites sticker and agrees to offer SACASA-supplied resources to youth. During 2012, the program will be expanded to offer resources to all individuals experiencing public harassment.

Other SACASA Sexual and Relationship Violence Programs

Please contact Rowan Frost at 520-327-1171 x121 or rfrost@arizonaschildren.org for information about these programs.

Peer Mentor Program

The Peer Mentor Program is for youth under 21 who are not enrolled in schools that offer the Peer Educator program and for Peer Educators who have completed their training and are ready for greater involvement in the community. Participants complete 12 hours of training, including brief crisis advocacy, and are supported in developing projects that meet their interests and needs. Peer Mentors may help SACASA staff teach Peer Education classes and facilitate Hey Baby! workshops, develop sexual and relationship violence awareness campaigns at their schools, and help with planning of community-wide events like Take Back the Night.

Adult & Staff Training

As of November, 2011, our work on all adult programs has been suspended due to funding cuts, but we continue to seek further funding.

SACASA has developed both a brief (two-hour) Adult Training and a 12-hour “Train-the-Trainer” Sexual and Relationship Violence Prevention Educator class.

The two-hour Adult Training (appropriate for schools, other agencies, and parent groups) summarizes information about all types of sexual and relationship violence, including bullying and harassment; emphasizes the importance of consistent role modeling and enforcement of policies against harassment and abuse; discusses appropriate intervention strategies when witnessing or suspecting bullying, sexual harassment, sexual abuse or assault; and addresses mandatory reporting laws and procedures. The training is scheduled at the convenience of the personnel at the site, usually during regular staff development hours, and can be presented in two one-hour blocks. Staff are encouraged to discuss specific issues of concern at their site and problem-solve with each other and administrators.

The Sexual and Relationship Violence Prevention Educator class teaches people 21+ years of age to present the two-hour Adult Training. The training covers all topics addressed in our Peer Educator classes, and is appropriate for people interested in volunteering with SACASA prevention programs.

Nightlife Safety Project

To reduce sexual violence in the 4th Avenue–Downtown area, SACASA partners with bars and clubs to create zero tolerance zones for unwanted sexual aggression. Bar staff are trained to assist patrons who are experiencing harassment. The Nightlife Safety Project’s message is: “Everyone has the right to go out and have a good time without being harassed. If you’re having trouble, you can count on bar staff at participating locations to back you up.” The program is entirely voluntary and without cost to business owners and other participants. For more information, and a map of participating bars, please go to www.nightlifesafety.org. We continue to remain in contact with Nighlife Safety Project bars and seek further funding.