MCASA staff traveled all across the state this Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) to share resources available to survivors and promote the importance of prevention efforts. Thank you to everyone who invited us to table, train, and participate in panel discussions this SAAM. It was great to connect with service providers, advocates, students, and community members!
This year’s SAAM theme from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) was Building Connected Communities. MCASA participated in the 30 Days of SAAM Instagram challenge, where we reflected on the ways we can build healthy, safe, and supportive communities in Maryland and beyond. We highlighted the work of the Maryland Women of Color Network (MWOCN), the Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI), and the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). We also spotlighted some of our amazing community partners providing prevention education and culturally-specific support services for survivors in Maryland.
We also launched our ‘We Believe You’ statewide awareness campaign on social media and Maryland’s public transit this SAAM. This campaign aimed to remind survivors that they are not alone, we believe them, and support is available through Maryland’s 17 Rape Crisis and Recovery Centers.
While we are grateful for all of the energy and commitment during SAAM, prevention work is important year round. On MCASA’s Prevention Webpages we provide resources on prevention fundamentals, consent and boundaries education, bystander intervention, and preventing child sexual abuse. We also offer a collection of tools for prevention in schools, youth online safety, and innovative environmental and situational prevention strategies. If you are interested in individual support for a specific project or initiative, contact MCASA’s prevention team at [email protected] to connect!
