Sexual Violence Prevention Tips

Organization Name:
Sexual Violence Center
City & State:
Describe your creative piece – what is it and what has it been used for, and why is it innovative?
We created "Sexual Violence Prevention Tips" that take traditional messages about prevention and flip them, creating true sexual violence prevention messages that put the focus on the perpetrator, rather than the potential victim. We have used these as public service announcements to reach a wide audience (which is difficult as a small non-profit!) and start discussions about primary prevention for sexual violence, and the need for prevention.
What issue or problem were you working to address with this piece?
We are working to create an understanding of how to prevent sexual violence (rape, unwanted touching, sexual harassment, etc). Sexual Violence affects 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys by the age of 18. Sexual violence rates have stayed the same for years, which means that sexual violence is a NORM in our society that far too many people experience. Traditionally, sexual violence prevention messages have focused on how potential victims can prevent themselves from being assaulted, but this is impossible to do. When a perpetrator chooses to sexually assault someone, they typically pick a person who is vulnerable in some way (drunk, smaller, younger, has a developmental or intellectual disability, etc) and overpower that person. We know these traditional messages about prevention don't work because we've been using them for 30 years and we haven't seen the rates of sexual violence decrease! It's time to start focusing on primary prevention, which is stopping a behavior before it occurs.
How has your submission successfully impacted your organization’s ability to solve this issue/problem?
We have created a tool that is uses humor and subtlety to educate and generate conversations in a way we never could through lecture or dialogue. This tool has been recognized nationally as a useful way to educate people with little to no knowledge about sexual violence prevention.
Creative Submission - URL
www.youtube.com/sexualviolencecenter