In Honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, SafeBAE (and partners*) Moves Annual Teen Summit on Sexual Assault and Consent Education Online from April 28-May 2nd
April 21, 2020 – SafeBAE, a survivor-founded, student-led national organization whose mission is to end sexual violence and teach healthy relationships among middle and high school students, is taking their originally scheduled school-based Virginia and Maine Summits online from April 28 through May 2nd, due to COVID-19 school closures. Every session is free and will be hosted over a secure Telehealth Zoom platform, with moderators and counselors overseeing all of the attendees. The Summit is being made possible by the commitment of our youth planning committees (comprised of 14-18 year olds) and partners from both of our original locations in Arlington, VA and Portland, ME, but is open to all.
Registration is now open at https://safebae.org/virtual-summit/.
Building on last year’s success, and showing great flexibility and nimbleness, our youth planning committees have re-imagined and re-designed how they will reach their peer audience during this unprecedented time. Leveraging the new online platform will enable SafeBAE and its messages of dating violence, affirmative consent education, safe bystander intervention, survivor care, and Title IX rights to reach an even larger audience than before. The Summit is open to the general public, with a target audience of middle and high school students and their allies (caregivers, educators, coaches, etc.). We will be offering school or community service credits to students from partner schools.
“It’s so important that youth and adults alike feel comfortable discussing these topics. We’ve been working hard to put together an interactive summit that will help teens, caregivers, and all our participants learn the facts behind sexual violence and affirmative consent. As a teenager, I’m thrilled to educate myself further and connect with other students interested in our cause.” – Hannah Knitting, Arlington Teen Network Board & SafeBAE summit planning team
While we know there are everyday risks of online abuses before the pandemic, the stakes for teens are significantly increased while sheltering in place. Young people are more prone to high-risk behaviors online (such as sexting, sharing nudes, viewing pornography, and being groomed by online predators) Now, more than ever, SafeBAE’s work of shifting peer culture and working to raise awareness to prevent sexual violence, is needed.
The proposed schedule for the Summit will include Zoom breakout sessions with experts in PTSD therapy modalities, enthusiastic consent, safe bystander intervention, positive masculinity, sexting, online safety, and sex trafficking. There will also be a parent panel discussion moderated by Project Peace, two Netflix watch parties of “Audrie & Daisy” and “Roll, Red, Roll”, and the debut of the trailer for our latest film project, ‘Saving Daisy,’ a film which focuses on healing after sexual assault.
“We are excited to have the eyes and ears of high-school kids across the country, and perhaps around the world, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Our summit provides a chance to deeply impact teens actions during their time at home and when they return to school. Until we can get back into classrooms with our amazing youth leaders, we want to give them the opportunity to be connected and to have the opportunity to still make change in their communities.” – Daisy Coleman, SafeBAE co-founder.
REGISTRATION: https://safebae.org/virtual-summit/
* With Arlington Project Peace, Arlington Teen Network Board, Alexandria Sexual Assault Center, Doorways, Alexandria Campaign Against Adolescent Pregnancy, Maine Family Planning, Maine Boys to Men, Survivor Speak USA, Safe Space Nova, Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault, JCADA, AAUW-Arlington, Arlington Athletes of Action, Hardy Girls; Healthy Women, and Roll Red Roll.
ABOUT SafeBAE (http://www.safebae.org)
SafeBAE is a survivor-founded, student-led national organization whose mission is to end sexual assault among middle and high school students. As the only national peer-to-peer organization of our kind, we help promote culture change by giving teens the tools to become activists and shift school culture through raising awareness about dating violence, sexual harassment and assault, affirmative consent, safe bystander intervention, survivor care, and their rights under Title IX.
Web: www.safebae.org/virtual-summit
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/safebae.org
Twitter:@safe_bae
Instagram: @safe_bae
