Sorry to break it to you, but you are not going to end sexual violence all by yourself. You need to connect with others, build partnerships and coalitions and find a group of fellow activists as passionate as you are about making and living in a world free from violence. How do you do this?
A good place to start is to gather a group of like-minded friends, peers and classmates and create a new “feminist club” or activism group at your school or in your community. This can be a space to come together on a frequent basis (maybe once a week).
Here are some suggestions for you as you begin to create your group:
- Provide resources for folks who might be suffering from experiences related to sexual violence. Distribute a list of phone numbers and websites of places where they can access support and resources.
- Be clear about exactly what the group is and what it is not. Is it an activist group for young people to design action campaigns or a support group for survivors to share stories?
- Articulate community guidelines together. Ask everyone what they need to feel safe and supported. Write down this “community contract,” invite everyone to sign it and post it somewhere visible at every meeting. The list might include suggestions such as:
- speak with “I” statements
- replace judgment with curiosity
- respect where everyone is on their journey
- step up/ step back
- know, respect and name your own boundaries. No one has to share anything they don’t want to share
- practice “calling in” instead of “calling out”
- And unfortunately, spaces that are publicly named and branded in any way as “feminist” or addressing issues related to preventing sexual violence are often trolled by harassers. We highly recommend the resources at HEARTMOB to help you address harassers and support the folks they target.