Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Every April, Sexual Violence Response (SVR) observes Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) by remembering, honoring, and celebrating survivors, advocates, and activists through programming and events that offer hope, healing, and inspiration, affirming that sexual assault has no place in the Columbia University community.
Events
Join the Columbia community for a host of awareness, education, and advocacy events aimed at preventing sexual violence and fostering a respectful community.
Click the event name for more information:
Thursday, April 18
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
FULL
Monday, April 22
12:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Lerner 555
Wednesday, April 24
Lerner Ramps: 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Kravis Hall: 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Past events
Wednesday, April 3
11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Lerner Ramps
Thursday, April 11
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET
Virtual
Tuesday, April 9
12:00 - 1:30 p.m. ET
Virtual
CUIMC Events
These events are open to CUIMC students, faculty, and staff.
Friday, April 19
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Vagelos Education Center 902/903 - Register to attend
Wednesday, April 24
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Hammer LL1 Lobby
Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you require closed captioning, sign-language interpretation, or any other accommodation, please notify SVR or contact Disability Services at (212) 854-2388 or [email protected] at least 10 days in advance.
No matter who we are, we have the power to make a change.
From small steps to big leaps and everything in between, whoever you are or wherever you are from, you CAN help build a compassionate and accountable community where sexual assault can end.
There is no place for sexual assault in our community. Together, we must support survivors through their healing journey, amplify the voices and conversations of communities who have been left out of the discussion, reinforce a sense of community, and come together to build a future without sexual assault.
Download a SAAM Zoom background:
Right-click on the image, click "Save Image As...", and add to Zoom!
Hosting your own SAAM event? Apply for co-sponsorship.
Get Involved
Volunteer
Learn about becoming a peer educator or peer advocate.
Spread the word on social media.
Share SVR's Facebook posts throughout April or post your own!
Event Descriptions
When: Wednesday, April 3, 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Where: Lerner Ramps
Join SVR as we kickoff the month of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) this April. Come by the Lerner Ramps to learn more about our events for the month and win some prizes.
When: Tuesday, April 9, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. ET
Where: Virtual - Register on Zoom
A survivor-centered workshop that teaches attendees how to be in a conSENSUAL relationship with their own body. This workshop utilizes the “Yes-to-No Spectrum of Consent” as a model of practice. Attendees will be guided through mindfulness exercises that will teach them how to identify when their body is saying “yes”, “no”, or something in between.
We will use food as a vehicle to help us learn self-consent. Please have two different candles and/or snacks (anything consumable that is available around you is fine, even if it's water.
All registered attendees at the event will be emailed a copy of Jayda Shuavarnnasri’s eBook From a Place of Love
All student attendees that stay at the event 45 minutes or longer will be entered to win a $50 VISA gift card. Thirteen students at random will be selected and will be emailed after the event with directions to claim the prize.
All members of the community are welcome.
About the Speaker:
Jayda Shuavarnnasri
Jayda Shuavarnnasri is a queer Southeast Asian sexuality & relationship educator and artist. Also known as “Sex Positive Asian Auntie”, she helps liberate folks from sexual shame by creating space for authentic conversations about sexuality, relationships, identity and healing. The topics that arouse her most are sexual exploration, identity, transformative justice, and creating relationships outside of the convention mold. She is also the producer of Auntie’as Altar, a stream of consciousness podcast where she shares personal stories of navigating non-monogamy, relationships, and sexuality.
When: Thursday, April 11, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Virtual - Register on Zoom
As technology becomes increasingly intertwined in our lives, it plays a central role in how our students meet, make, and maintain relationships. This not only presents challenges to their safety, privacy, and confidentiality; it also profoundly impacts the experience of survivors of intimate partner violence. This webinar will:
- explore how abusers misuse technology to stalk, harass, and control survivors,
- discuss practical strategies for safety planning,
- empower survivors with insights on leveraging technology as a means of empowerment and connection,
- address potential risks in the technology use of students, staff, and faculty.
Objectives:
- Technology-Enabled Abuse Awareness: Students, staff, and faculty will gain a nuanced understanding of how perpetrators misuse technology in domestic violence, recognizing the evolving threats faced by survivors in the digital age.
- Safety Planning: Participants will identify and apply practical strategies to mitigate technology risks and address privacy concerns, ensuring a secure environment for survivors within the academic community.
- Empowering Survivors and Fostering Connection: Students, staff, and faculty will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to harness technology as a tool for empowerment and connection, fostering confidence and autonomy in their academic and personal lives.
About the Speaker:
Audace Garnett, Technology Safety Project Manager
Audace Garnett has extensive experience in facilitation, providing technical assistance nationally and internationally, and supporting crime victims and domestic violence survivors. She began her career in 2004 at a non-profit organization named Barrier Free Living where she provided advocacy to survivors with disabilities. Audace has also worked at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office where she served as the Teen Services Coordinator in the Victim Services Unit. After six years at the district attorney’s office, she then went on to work at a Teen Dating Violence prevention and intervention program named Day One NY where she trained adult professionals around the intersection of teen dating violence and domestic minor sex trafficking. She is currently a Technology Safety Project Manager with Safety Net at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) where she focuses specifically on the intersection between domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and technology.
This event is full.
When: Thursday, April 18, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Where: Lerner 700 (SVR Conference Room)
Embark on a journey of healing with SVR during a night filled with art. Immerse yourself in painting, collaging, poetry, and more. Be sure to wear old clothes because things might get wonderfully messy! Plus, enjoy some delicious food on us. Let the healing vibes flow!
This event is open to Columbia students, including affiliate schools.
When: Monday, April 22, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Where: Lerner 555
Take a much-needed pause from your studies and immerse yourself in a world of relaxation and mindfulness at the Self-Care Fair hosted by SVR. Join us at Lerner 555 for an enriching experience where you can create your personalized self-care kit, explore the calming effects of painting, coloring, and Lego building, and gain valuable insights into mindfulness, stress management, and improving sleep. Don’t miss the chance to enter a drawing for prizes, capture the fun moments at our photo booth, and enjoy a variety of food and beverages. This rejuvenating event is exclusively open to Columbia students (including affiliates) - mark your calendars and let us help you unwind and refresh!
When: Wednesday, April 24, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where and When:
Lerner Ramps - 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Kravis Hall - 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Participate in Denim Day 2024 virtually or in person and make a statement with your denim. Tell our community that there is no excuse for sexual assault or rape, especially not what a survivor was wearing.
Stop by to grab some swag, take the Denim Day Pledge, participate in some myth busting, and have the SVR Peer Educators take your photo for social media. You can share why you wear denim and your commitment to creating a community of compassion and accountability – where survivors are supported and not blamed after an assault.
Learn more about the history of Denim Day.
Unable to come in person? You can take the pledge here and upload your Denim Day photos for us to share, or tag @columbiahealth on Instagram to share why you wear denim.
The Columbia community is welcome to attend.
CUIMC Event Descriptions
When: Friday, April 19, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Vagelos Education Center 902/903 - Register
Join co-sponsors Sexual Violence Response, Reflexions: The Literary and Fine Arts Journal of CUIMC, and SHAG for a fun, community-building event! This workshop will explore the use of art, specifically stick figures and comic drawings, as a tool of activism in healthcare settings. Some questions this workshop will explore include: What do I do when the care I provide isn’t designed with my patients in mind or lacks patient-centered guidelines to follow? Is there a way for me to use art as a vehicle to give meaning to my mistakes and other experiences within the clinical setting? How can I communicate how it feels to deliver care in a broken system? Previous experiences of artistic expression are not required. Food and beverages will be provided.
Goals and Objectives:
- Participants will complete one art piece using the strategies introduced by the end of the session.
- Participants will provide a brief reflection on the activity entitled “ask the artist.”
- Participants will describe the value of art as a tool for activism in healthcare.
This event is open to CUIMC students, faculty, and staff.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Anita Ravi, she/her, MD, MPH, MSHP, FAAFP
Dr. Ravi is a board-certified family medicine physician who specializes in the health of survivors of gender-based violence. She regularly writes, draws, and speaks at events across the country about how the healthcare system must radically change to meet the needs of survivors. She is the CEO and co-founder of PurpLE Health Foundation, and the Director of its affiliated medical practice, PurpLE Family Health. In addition to her direct service work as a physician, she’s worked with survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking in a variety of settings, including Rikers Island and immigration detention centers, developed policy on local and national committees focused on health equity and human trafficking, published peer-reviewed research in this field, and conducted educational trainings and workshops centered around integrating trauma-informed care principles in healthcare delivery. Dr. Ravi’s unique approach to healthcare and advocacy has garnered national recognition, including as a 2021 “40 Under 40” Leader in Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum, a 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar, and selected for the Rockefeller Foundation's 2023 Bellagio Center Residency Program. Dr. Ravi is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, received her Medical Degree from the University of Michigan School of Medicine, her Masters in Public Health from Yale University, her Masters in Health Policy research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and is a graduate of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Veterans Affairs Clinical Scholars Fellowship Program.
When: Wednesday, April 24, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Where: Hammer LL1
Participate in Denim Day 2024 virtually or at Hammer LL1 and make a statement with your denim. Tell our community that there is no excuse for sexual assault or rape, especially not what a survivor was wearing.
Stop by the table in Hammer to grab some swag, take the Denim Day Pledge, participate in some myth busting, and have the SVR team take your photo for social media. You can share why you wear denim and your commitment to creating a community of compassion and accountability – where survivors are supported and not blamed after an assault.
Learn more about the history of Denim Day.
Unable to come to Hammer? You can take the pledge here and upload your Denim Day photos for us to share, or tag @columbiahealth on Instagram to share why you wear denim.
The CUIMC community is welcome to attend.