weconsent

WEconSent: Stories of Survival, Response and Intervention

WeConsent is soliciting stories from survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking and commentary from the community about these issues.  We invite submissions of poetry, art work, photography and personal narratives from students who have been directly and indirectly affected by this issue to discuss how sexual violence has touched their lives.

The zine will be used in a variety of settings to raise dialogue about sexual violence in all its forms; including sexual harassment, sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking. Your story will have the opportunity to touch the lives of individuals and foster dialogue around these important issues.This project will continue into the fall, but we aim to have a draft for use in Fall 2013 orientation.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

SURVIVOR STORY

Sharing your story with the world can be a difficult but very empowering decision.

 Your words can inform and inspire other survivors and the

Wesleyan community to raise awareness about the issue.

COMMENTARY

Share your thoughts about rape culture.

Tell us about how you’ve supported a friend, partner or family

member in the aftermath of sexual violence.

How do you keep consent sexy?

What does a campus without violence look like?

Words of support for survivors.

Tell us your successful bystander intervention story.

All submissions are published anonymously; however, you are required to sign a release form to grant us permission to use your submission. The only person who will know your identity is the Sexual Violence Response Coordinator, Alysha B. Warren.

Submissions should tell your unique story and what you wish to share with the community. All forms of expression are encouraged (narratives, poetry, artwork, favorite quotations,  etc.).  We hope to publish submissions that represent the diversity of Wesleyan: a variety of identities, experiences and responses. The only substantial editing we will do is for any incriminating statements so please avoid naming specific people, clubs or organizations. We will not publish material that is victim-blaming.

THE PROCESS:

1. There are two (2) ways to submit your experience:

• Email your submission (Word document, jpeg, etc.) to Alysha B. Warren at awarren(at)wes. Reference “It Happened Here” in the subject line.
• Submit directly to our blog – www.weconsent.blogs.wesleyan.edu and indicate that you also want it included in the zine.

1. Your submission will be reviewed for content. Do not name specific people, clubs or organizations or include other identifying information.

Resources:

Disclosing your experience may be upsetting and support is available:

Alysha B. Warren, LPC*

Therapist/Sexual Assault Response Coordinator

Counseling and Psychological Services

awarren@wesleyan.edu

860.685.2910

Office hours: 8:30am-4:30pm. Crisis hours are available each day and therapists are on-call after hours each evening and on weekends.

Rachel Verner, Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Intern

860.685.4673

Women and Families Center*

24 Hour Hotline: 888.999.5545

Non-Emergencies: 860.344.1474

*Confidential

Please email awarren(at) wes with questions.

Thank you for your submissions and your efforts to end sexual violence.

Saturday, 2.16.2013

11:00am-4:45pm

Learn Mindfulness Skills and Practices

Improve Sleep Hygiene

Gentle Yoga 

Lunch will be served.

*Location disclosed to participants.* 

Created for survivors of sexual violence, this retreat will teach participants how to incorporate mindfulness skills and practices into their lives, improve sleep, augment self-care skills and culminate in a relaxing gentle yoga/movement session.

TO REGISTER: Complete the registration form and email to

Alysha Warren, awarren@wesleyan.edu  by

Wednesday, February 13th. Reference “Mindfulness & Movement” in subject line.

Space is limited!

The retreat will be facilitated by:

Alysha B. Warren, LPC, Therapist/Sexual Violence Resource Coordinator,

Tanya Purdy, Director of WesWell

Maggie Cohen, Registered Yoga Teacher

Amy Marschall, Counseling and Psychological Services Extern

Tags: mindfulness, retreat, survivor support, yoga

IT HAPPENED HERE:

Stories of Survival, Response and Intervention

WeConsent is soliciting stories from survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking. We invite submissions of poetry, art work, photography and personal narratives from students who have been directly and indirectly affected by this issue to discuss how sexual violence has touched their lives.

The zine will be used in a variety of settings to raise dialogue about sexual violence in all its forms; including sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking. Your story will have the opportunity to touch the lives of individuals and foster dialogue around these important issues.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

SURVIVOR STORY

Have you experienced sexual assault, stalking or been in an abusive relationship?

Sharing your story with the world can be a difficult but very empowering decision.

 Your words can inform and inspire other survivors and the

Wes community to raise awareness about the issue.

COMMENTARY

Share your thoughts about societal attitudes towards sexual violence.

Tell us about how you’ve supported a friend, partner or family

member in the aftermath of sexual violence.

Tell us your successful bystander intervention story.

All submissions are published anonymously; however, you are required to sign a release form to grant us permission to use your submission. The only person who will know your identity is the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Alysha B. Warren.

Submissions should tell your unique story and what you wish to share with the community. All forms of expression are encouraged (narratives, poetry, artwork, favorite quotations,  etc.).  We hope to publish submissions that represent the diversity of Wes: a variety of identities, experiences and responses. The only substantial editing we will do is for any incriminating statements so please avoid naming specific people, clubs or organizations. We will not publish material that is victim-blaming.

THE PROCESS:

1. There are two (2) ways to submit your experience:

• Email your submission (Word document, jpeg, etc.) to Alysha B. Warren at awarren(at)wes. Reference “It Happened Here” in the subject line.
• Submit directly to our blog – www.weconsent.blogs.wesleyan.edu and indicate that you also want it included in the zine.

1. Your submission will be reviewed for content. Do not name specific people, clubs or organizations or include other identifying information.

Resources:

Disclosing your experience may be upsetting and support is available:

Alysha B. Warren, LPC*

Therapist/Sexual Assault Response Coordinator

Counseling and Psychological Services

awarren@wesleyan.edu

860.685.2910

Office hours: 8:30am-4:30pm. Crisis hours are available each day and therapists are on-call after hours each evening and on weekends.

Maggie Cohen, Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Intern

860.685.4673

Women and Families Center*

24 Hour Hotline: 888.999.5545

Non-Emergencies: 860.344.1474

*Confidential

Please email awarren(at) wes with questions.

Thank you for your submissions and your efforts to end sexual violence.

Click to enlarge.

Applications for the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Intern for the 2012-2013 academic year are now being accepted.  The SART intern will provide trained peer support to help students navigate on- and off-campus resources and judicial processes.  The intern will also serve as a liaison among the Davison Health Center, Counseling and Psychological Services, WesWell, Student Activities, SART, the Administration, WSA, and other student and campus groups engaged in sexual assault prevention and response initiatives.  See job description and application below:

SART Intern Application – Spring 2012

SART Intern Job Description

Please submit applications to Alysha Warren (awarren@wesleyan.edu) by Monday, April 9th.  Reference “SART Intern 2012″ in subject line of email. If you have any questions, contact Alysha or the current SART intern, Maggie Cohen ’12 (mrcohen@wesleyan.edu).

Thank you for your interest!

this is not a poem. i don’t mess with metaphor

this is me finding my voice and losing pieces

if i could scream, i would

but my throat is tired

and my heart is tired, too

i think i’m untouchable

i didn’t finish aestheticizing this

i like things unfinished, and i am always in process

i’m making myself unbroken

by mending pieces

i never wanted

you took pieces

they were never mine in the first place, they were yours all along

but i don’t need pieces, because they’re

unfinished, in process

like me

some pieces say

you can take my power, but never my essence:

because what i have

can never touch

What is Experiences of Healing?

Experiences of Healing is an 8 week psycho-educational support group designed to help survivors of sexual assault navigate the healing process. Sessions will include art, collage, poetry and other experiential activities to assist in the exploration of topics. Each week, the group will explore a specific aspect of the healing process through discussion, art or other experiential activity and the latter half of the group will function as a support group.   The group meets weekly on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:15pm. The group is facilitated by Alysha Warren, LPC, Therapist/Sexual Violence Resource Coordinator.

Who can join the group?

The group is open to students who identify as female who have experienced sexual assault. Men are also survivors of sexual assault and a male survivors’ support group is being developed. If you are interested in the male survivors’ support group, contact Alysha, 860.685.2910 or awarren@wesleyan.edu.

How can I participate?

To join the group, schedule an intake appointment with Alysha (awarren(at)Wesleyan(dot)edu)  in Counseling and Psychological Services (860.685.2910). The purpose of the intake appointment is to learn more about you, your experiences and your interest in the group.

What happens the first night of the group?

Joining a new group can be both exciting and anxiety provoking. On the first night, the group members introduce themselves, their goals and hopes for participation in the group and establish guidelines.

Is information shared in the group confidential?

In order to foster a safe environment, it is requested that information that is shared within the group environment is not shared with people outside of the group. The group will ultimately determine the bounds of confidentiality.

How safe is it for me to participate in the group?

The group location will only be publicized to members of the group. The facilitator works to create an inclusive, safe environment with the assistance of group members.   Group members will determine consequences, if any, for violations of group confidentiality

Who is the facilitator?

Alysha B. Warren joined the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff in September 2011. She provides counseling and advocacy services to students who have been affected by sexual violence as well as conducts outreach related to education and prevention. Prior to joining the CAPS staff, she developed a grant-funded Campus Against Violence (CAV) program, which included prevention, education and counseling services for students related to sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking at Salisbury University. She has also worked as a therapist at the DC Rape Crisis Center where she provided individual, group and couples counseling to survivors of sexual violence and managed the field placement program. She is inspired by the resiliency of the clients with whom she works and is honored to be a witness to their healing process. In her work with clients, she is empowerment and client-focused and integrates a variety of approaches. When Alysha is not working to eradicate sexual violence, she can be found creating playlists, eating pizza and perfecting her yoga poses.

I have experienced sexual assault, but I do not want to attend a group. Are there other options available?

Individual counseling is available for students. Seeking counseling can help you sort out your feelings about the event(s), assist you in making decisions about what you would like to do next and help you begin the healing process. Contact Alysha in CAPS to schedule an appointment, 860.685.2910.

connect. heal. THRIVE.

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