The following message is from UMW’s Center for Prevention and Education:

Across the nation, April is celebrated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). This is a time for raising awareness of sexual assault and gender-based violence, as well as celebrating the strength of survivors, passion of advocates, and compassion of allies.

In these unprecedented times, we are all adjusting our schedules and modifying routines because of COVID-19. For us, that included cancelling all April SAAM scheduled in-person programming organized by our student organizations, faculty, staff, and off-campus partners. As we are adapting to social distancing, the Center for Prevention and Education (CPE) is moving forward with virtual programming for April. It is important to reiterate our commitment to survivors, advocates, allies, and the educational components of SAAM. We look forward to hosting online events, collaborations, engaging more with our community through social media, and shining a spotlight on others that were part of the SAAM planning for April 2020.

We hope you will join us on Instagram and Facebook to support our virtual 2020 SAAM efforts. Our SAAM 2020 webpage includes information on upcoming virtual programs, content you can share through social media, SAAM coloring pages, giveaways, and much more.

Finally, to share a little home away from home and as thank you in advance for supporting our vision, the grand prize giveaway for engaging with us on social media will be one University of Mary Washington diploma frame.  Please visit our SAAM 2020 webpage or Instagram profile for additional information.

Stay healthy, practice self-care, and reach out if you need support.

Marissa Miller
Center for Prevention and Education