April is Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month. The Women’s Center of Greater Lansing is raising awareness of sexual assault in Mid-Michigan during April, which is designated “Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.” During #SAAPM, we ask individuals and communities in the Greater Lansing area to engage with this issue that affects nearly every household in America by learning more about sexual violence, sharing important statistics and information, hosting events, volunteering, and donating.
Each week in April, we’re featuring different ways you can get involves by promoting awareness and taking action. Want to get involved but need help starting? We’ve got you covered! That’s why we created custom graphics for you to share, tweet, and tag with @womenscenterofgreaterlansing throughout the month, as well as many other resources. Each week’s graphics will be released Sunday of that week for the next five weeks of April. Let’s raise awareness and prevention together!
Week 1: Speak Out
- Tell one person about SAAPM and/or the Women’s Center
- Encourage others to speak out by sharing our posts on social media
- “I speak out because I believe that every survivor deserves a safe place to find help.”
Week 2: Support Survivors & Yourself
This week, we focus on sharing information about how you can support survivors and practice self-care
- choose a self-care activity to participate in this week like:
- go for a walk
- spend time in nature
- spend time with supportive friends
- journal
- something else that makes you feel strong, healthy, and cared for
- Share the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800.656.HOPE (4673)
- Share the Women’s Center’s phone number: (517) 372-9163
- Share #SupportSurvivors on social media
Week 3: Stay Educated
This week is about staying educated. Here are a few quick and simple ways you can share information about sexual violence prevention with your community:
- share WCGL graphics
- Read one new article on WCGL’s website, then share it and start conversations
- learn the laws in your state and share one that you didn’t know before on your social media. Tag us with @womenscenterofgreaterlansing and use the trend #SAAPM
- encourage others to educate themselves and their communities by sharing our posts and searching for facts
Week 4: Take Action
This week is about turning the awareness you have cultivated earlier in the month into action. There are many ways you can take action to support survivors in your community. Check out a few of our suggestions below:
- write social media posts and tag us @womenscenterofgreaterlansing
- sign up to volunteer
- donate or encourage others by starting a fundraiser of your own for the Women’s Center
- know and tell that $25 helps one survivor at the Women’s Center
- talk to policymakers about what you want to be done at the government level
Week 5: Today and Everyday
As SAAPM wraps up, we remember that the work to end sexual violence continues throughout the year. Going forward, you can continue the work you have started this April in a variety of ways.
- Donate
- Volunteer
- Sign up for the Women’s Center Newsletter
- Keep the conversation about sexual assault active by sharing our posts on social media
- If you ever need the number or need to share, the Michigan hotline offers confidential, anonymous support. 1-855-VOICES4
Important facts to know:
- Every 92 seconds, another person is sexually assaulted
- April is sexual assault and awareness month
- Abril es el mes de la agresión sexual y conciencia.
- Every 9 minutes a child is sexually assaulted in the US
- Male college students are at risk, too: college males ages 18-24 are approximately 5 times more likely than non-students of the same age to be a victim of rape or sexual assault
- College-aged women are at high risk of sexual violence. College women ages 18-24 are 3 times as likely as other women their age; women ages 18-24 not in college are 4 times as likely