TakeBackTheNet: Virtual Take Back the Night Speakout

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and many institutions of higher education across the nation take this opportunity to raise awareness and publicly advocate on behalf of survivors of sexual violence.  Universities and colleges across the state of Virginia have historically hosted events on each campus, but many events have been canceled due to the new social distancing safety measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Virginia Campus Taskforce (which includes the University of Virginia, University of Mary Washington, College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, Radford University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Richmond) will host a #TakeBacktheNet virtual event to empower survivors of sexual violence and their allies to share stories and support one another through Zoom. 

This virtual event will be on April 7, 2020 from 7 – 9 pm. After the speak-out, participants from each institution have the option of meeting with their peers in a small group discussion and planning session on taking further action on their individual campuses. Participants from schools who do not have a cohort present will meet together in one group. The goal of this event is to bring survivors across the state together in a new and innovative way and to help students move from victim to survivor to thriver; taking control over their lived experiences. Beyond this #TakeBacktheNet survivor speak out, universities this April will continue to lead a wide range of initiatives to prevent sexual assault. These include social media campaigns, educational programming, and various forms of advocacy. UVA’s participation is cosponsored by the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center and UVA Take Back the Night Committee.

If you are interested in participating, please submit your registration (tinyurl.com/takebackthenet) by Thursday, April 2 at 5:00 pm. If you don’t get your registration in by tonight, submit it anyway, as there may still be room. Registrations will be collected by counseling staff from the College of William and Mary who will contact you upon receipt. You do not have to provide your statement when you register, but we ask that participants limit their time to 5 minutes.

For more information, email Claire Kaplan at cnk2r@virginia.edu.

#takebackthenight #feminism #sexualviolence #survivors