Members of the Twin Ports community are invited to take part in an evening of important conversation to raise awareness and help prevent sexual assault when the University of Wisconsin-Superior hosts the free event, Speak Out Superior: Changing the Culture, Engaging New Voices. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and an opportunity to have open, constructive dialog on this important issue.
Taking place on Wednesday, April 26, the dinner and program begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Yellowjacket Union Great Room. There will be active bystander intervention training with trained advocates from CASDA on hand. The event will conclude with a panel review of training results. This free inclusive event is for anyone, regardless of age or gender, seeking to be better informed about sexual assault and prevention.
“We are going to learn about, and discuss, active bystander intervention training,” said Leslie Dollen, Senior Lecturer, Legal Studies at UW-Superior. “What do we do when we see a bad situation starting? What do we do when we start to realize that our friend might be a rapist? How do we safely assist sexual assault survivors before, during and after the assault? We will discuss this, and learn how to intervene to help our friends and fellow human beings.”
According to information from the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, from 2006 to 2010, 4,960 sexual assaults were reported annually to law enforcement in Wisconsin alone. Speak Out Superior will provide attendees with the awareness and knowledge needed to help, or sometimes prevent, a sexual assault should they ever be faced with it.
This free event is sponsored by members of the Douglas County Sexual Assault Coordinated Community Response Team.
“This isn’t just one group that is presenting this event,” said Dollen. “We are a community group from the criminal justice, advocacy, educational, faith and health communities. This group represents the people in our community who want us all to be safe.”
The Yellowjacket Union Great Room is located on the UW-Superior campus at 1605 Catlin Ave.
