April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) & Child Abuse Prevention Month

Hope House is working with community partners on a number of awareness projects this April.  We'll add information as we get it so please check back for more information on what we are doing for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month. 
FEATURED EVENT: April 29 is Denim Day
Denim Day is in honor of a young Italian woman who was raped by her driving instructor. He was convicted, but he appealed and the judges overturned the conviction. The judges decided that "...because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape, but consensual sex." Denim Day was created as a message in protest of victim-blaming. We need to start by believing survivors and not blame them for the sexual assault that someone else committed against them. 

You can participate in Denim Day by asking your employer to allow employees to wear jeans on April 29 in exchange for making a small donation to Hope House. You can find a flyer for it here.

If your business, school, or church is interested in participating in Denim Day, please call Hope House at 608-356-9123 to let us know. We'd greatly appreciate it if you took photos of the participants wearing jeans and tag us on Facebook or email it to us at HHOffice@HopeHouseSCW.org.  We'll share the image on our Facebook page and e-bulletin.  

Thank you for your support!
The April 2 Talk at the Baraboo Library has been cancelled.
 The What Were You Wearing? ​Rape Survivor Art Installation at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County from April 20-24 has been cancelled.
Other Date-Specific Displays and Events
  • TBD: For Child Abuse Prevention Month, Hope House will have a blue pinwheel display on our front yard with yard signs. Stop by and take one home. Each pinwheel has a Darkness to Light (child sexual abuse prevention organization) card with a quote about kids on it.
  • April 3: Join Hope House and others across the country in wearing blue for Wear Blue for Child Abuse Prevention Day.​
  • April 7: Join Hope House and others across the country in wearing teal for the national Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action.
Month-Long Activities
  • #30DaysofSAAM: Join Hope House in participating in the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's (NSVRC) #30DaysofSAAM. This popular online contest gives organizations and individual accounts a chance to win a prize pack every day. Here’s how it works: Each day in April, they’ll provide an open-ended prompt that participants respond to with a photo, collage, illustration, digital art, video, or other original content. NSVRC selects a daily prompt winner who will receive a Yes Means Yes tote bag, sticker pack, and keychain, and they’ll have their photo featured on our Instagram page for all to see. Everyone who participates every day in April will be entered into a drawing at the end of the month for the grand prize: a $200 Amazon gift card. 
  • Live in the city of Baraboo, Reedsburg, Lodi, Montello, Adams, or Elroy? We will be putting teal and/or blue sashes around trees in area parks to bring awareness of sexual assault and child abuse and of Hope House services.
  • Tune in to MAX FM 99.7, Wisconsin 106.1, WRJC 92.1, and Magnum area radio stations for PSAs about Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
  • Check your area newspaper for our letters to the editor on sexual assault and child abuse awareness and prevention.
Resources

​SAAM Church Bulletin Insert: Click here to download Hope House's church bulletin insert that you can use any week in April. ​
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The National Sexual Violence Resource Center

​The NSVRC is the go-to resource for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Their national theme this year is I Ask.

Check out their site for coloring pages, posters, a toolkit, handouts, social media guide and graphics, the #30DaysofSAAM Instagram contest, and more.
Start By Believing is a public awareness campaign designed by End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) to change the way we respond to rape and sexual assault in our communities.  Check out their website to make your personal commitment and to view their many campaign resources, such as printed materials, articles, talking points, proclamations, brochures, and promotional materials. 
Flip the Switch: Champion Gymnast, Aly Raisman announced a partnership with Darkness to Light through the Flip the Switch campaign. This campaign calls on all adults involved in youth sports to complete Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® training, with the online training offered at no cost. Learn more here. Want a shorter option? Darkness to Light is offering their ​Talking to Kids About Safety From Sexual Abuse training available at no charge by using code Talk2020. This training is ideal for parents and caregivers who may be home with children and have time to invest in learning more.
National Child Abuse Prevention Month from Child Welfare Information Gateway:

​The Child Welfare Information Gateway's National Child Abuse Prevention Month website has their 2019/2020 resource guide, tip sheets, protective factors vignettes, publications, video gallery, information on Adverse Childhood Experiences, and more!