At Volare we talk a lot about building trauma-informed communities that provide resources and support for survivors. When we have resources in place, education on how to best support folks, and are actively working to dismantle oppressive systems that allow sexual violence to occur, we are also engaging in suicide prevention.

"The two guys that helped me at the frat party were active bystanders by causing a distraction. They told the guy that someone was waiting for him out front. I’ll never know if this was actually true or not, but it got him away without direct intervention. This is what being an active bystander is - intervening when we see potential harm..."

The first few moments after a sexual assault can be a very difficult and confusing time. You may have questions and be faced with multiple decisions. During this time you may not want, or be ready, to make many of these decisions. This is common and okay.

Consent is centered on bodily autonomy. Only you are in control of your body and can give consent or retract it at any moment, for any reason. Consent is agreeing to or giving permission for something to happen. Consent should be communicated and is clear and ongoing.

Sexual assault is a form of sexual violence. It refers to any sexual contact or behavior that happens without explicit consent. Sexual assault can cause harm and impact someone’s life.

Our opinions of ourselves and our interpretation of events are greatly shaped by the words and actions of people we love. So when someone is going through traumatic and life changing events, these initial reactions can be game changing.

Despite the significant increase in media coverage of sexual violence, an important question has yet to be asked: why do we believe some allegations of sexual violence, yet dismiss others?