LatinaLista — There’s no denying that college is at the same time an awesome experience and a scary proposition for many whose children may be the first in their families to go away to college.
Yet, while a college education is something that is needed and promoted widely to have any kind of substantial career success, there is a dark side that lurks on college campuses that doesn’t get talked about often enough — sexual violence.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center:
College students experience disproportionately high rates of sexual violence – 1 in 5 college women will be a victim of sexual assault by the time she graduates.
It’s a statistic that should alarm everyone. Yet, it’s a statistic that can only be changed by college students doing something about it. The founders of One Student knew if they could provide college students with the right education, tools, resources and cutting-edge programs to combat a culture that too readily accepts sexual violence as part of the college landscape then the mindshift can change, not only on that campus, but across the nation.
Since we began working to end sexual violence, we have focused our energy on college students because we believe that there is not a more powerful community in which radical, sweeping change can quickly occur.
College students affect our music, trends and politics, so it stands to reason that if college students and subsequently college campuses begin to change the way they think about sex and sexual violence we can drastically reduce sexual assault in America.
One Student works with college campuses to:
Encourage students to talk about sexual assault and healthy sexuality within their communities.
Increase knowledge about sexual violence through programming, outreach and online resources.
Educate students on immediate actions they can take as bystanders in potential or actual situations of sexual violence.
Engage stakeholders on college campuses to lead their communities towards zero tolerance for sexual violence.
Provide support for parents of young adult victims of sexual assault.
Introduce students and their allies to creative people, tools and resources to address the issues related to sexual assault.
Partner with organizations that are providing services and resources that help support our mission.
As the video below shows, One Student recognizes that sexual assaults on college campuses happens regardless of gender and ethnicity. Through their programs, One Student doesn’t just raise awareness about how sex and sexuality is discusses or viewed on college campuses but also encourages student leadership on the issue.
Whether it’s implementing One Student programs on their campus, sharing valuable information, volunteering or donating, students are a key component of the One Student strategy to eradicate sexual violence in this country.
One student can make a difference.
