The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education (The Center) will bring together the broader community as part of its annual Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) campaign.
This year’s theme, “Embrace Your Voice,” builds on the idea that everyone plays a part in making communities safe by encouraging community-wide conversations about healthy communication with kids, enthusiastic consent, and Bystander Intervention.
“Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes during this current climate when sexual violence and misconduct are in the media, and people everywhere are concerned and have questions,” said Executive Director Quentin Ball. “Our counseling, outreach and prevention departments are in the community daily, helping residents make sense of what really is a pervasive cultural ill.”
Ball said that nationally, one in four women and one in six men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
The Center encourages leaders in the community to join in, especially during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, to use their powerful voices to speak out against sexual violence and speak up for survivors.
During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, The Center will bring the theme of “Embrace Your Voice” to the community at large at several events:
• Tuesday April 3, 10:00am – Sexual Assault Awareness Month Kick-Off Press Conference at Weston Town Hall, 56 Norfield Road, Weston CT
• Tuesday April 3, A Day of Action – Join advocates nationwide who oppose sexual violence by wearing teal, in support of victims of sexual violence
• Wednesday April 11, 10:00am -3:00pm – The Center Counselors and Educators will participate in the Fresh Check Day at UCONN Stamford
• Wednesday, April 25, 6:00-9:00pm – Women Empowering Women, an evening of inspiration. Sheraton Stamford. Tickets are $100pp, for the networking cocktail hour, panel discussion, and dessert, and are available at bit.ly/Empower2018
• Information and Resource tables at local high schools throughout the month
Beyond SAAM activities this April, The Center leads a wide range of initiatives to prevent sexual violence. These include awareness campaigns, community outreach events, and prevention education to schoolchildren, community members, police forces, healthcare professionals, and elected officials. The Center and the statewide organization, The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, are members of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, which organizes the national SAAM initiative.
Serving Lower Fairfield County since 1979, The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education provides free, 24-hour confidential help to women, men and children who have experienced sexual violence. Additionally, it provides age-appropriate prevention education for children ages 4-18 and college students as well as education programs for the community at large.
The Center supports eight towns in Lower Fairfield County including: Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.
The Center provided crisis counseling to over 541 people and prevention education to more than 17,000 children and adults in the last year. To learn more about The Center call 203-348- 9346 or visit www.thecenter-ct.org .