One of the best ways to learn about sexual violence prevention is by listening to others with expertise, knowledge, and experience. Conferences or summits are places to meet such people.
You can look for conferences online or you can organize a youth-led community summit of your own. It doesn’t need to be a large event. Focus on one aspect of Sexual Violence Prevention. Reach out to your local Sexual Health or Violence Prevention Group, Rape-Crisis Center, Planned Parenthood clinic or hospital.
Invite a diverse panel of people to speak. You could include:
- A rep from your high school Gay Straight Trans Alliance
- An unlikely ally (maybe a male athlete who advocates for sexual consent education)
- Staff or volunteers from local SVP nonprofits
- Community leaders who are taking action
- Local artists who have created work related to this issue
- And others…
Bringing people from these various groups together on a panel to speak from different perspectives can be powerful. Consider showing a movie and inviting panel members to respond.
An SVP Summit event is a powerful way to bring people together to share knowledge and experience. However you decide to build your summit, big or small, there’s lots to do–finding a location, raising funds for any materials or food, and advertising–so here are a few pointers:
- Give yourself a good long time to plan and prepare.
- Find other people and organizations who share your passion for SVP.
- Recruit a conference team–it helps to have some experienced adults who are willing to support but not lead. Build a team with the kind of expertise you’ll need–people who are good at organizing, know how to advertise, and who are creative, passionate and knowledgeable about the issues.
- Brainstorm and create your event agenda–do you want fun ice-breakers, an opening performance or movie screening, workshops, a panel, opportunities for dialogue and conversation?
- Plan regular meeting times with your conference team, in person or via online platforms like Zoom.
- Keep to a schedule.
- Assign day-of roles and tasks to the team.
- Celebrate what you’ve done!
