To begin our work we held assemblies for classes of each grade level. The assemblies were to explain our project, offer information about sexual violence and gender discrimination, and invite students to take our survey. Classes left learning important information including who to turn to and how to detect sexual harassment in school and the surrounding community. (See evidence)
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Throughout our year, the GBLA team at Maywood Academy High School hosted different activities, each being a week long. Our activities revolved around the issue of sexual violence. The activities planned were meant to revolve around informing our students on what is sexual violence. We needed to help them understand the nuances of sexual violence , particularly because most people associate it only with rape when it’s actually much more than physical violence. In order to get our message out to the students of Maywood Academy, each member of the team was in charge of a week of events that spread awareness to the harm of sexual violence. Each event was meant to lead up to the bigger issue we wanted to address.
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The first week we set up tables at the quad to help students learn about consent. Brochures were distributed with information on the correct way to interact with a partner or acquaintance. In addition, students created charts that explored their comfort levels in romantic relationships as it relates to consent. Then, students participated in a “ consent handshake” game that helped simulate what conversations about consent may look like in real life.
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The following week was called Story Telling week. Students had the opportunity to share an anonymous story of an event where they were sexually harassed or witnessed someone being harassed. They wrote these stories on gray or lilac colored tags. The colors of the tags represented the area in which the event occurred (in the community or on school campus) and would be tied to the fences for people to read.
Following Storytelling Week was the Red Flag Week. The purpose was to signal “red flags” in romantic relationships that could signal an abusive relationship. . Red flags were handed to students to write things they find troubling in a relationship.
Following Storytelling Week was the Red Flag Week. The purpose was to signal “red flags” in romantic relationships that could signal an abusive relationship. . Red flags were handed to students to write things they find troubling in a relationship.
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Toward the end of March was the Clothesline Project. Messages and illustrations were painted on plain shirts and hung around campus for everyone to see as if in a gallery. Universities use this event to help spread awareness to sexual violence, and so the team at Maywood Academy High School decided to create our own clothesline project. Shirts were donated for students and staff to write positive messages to survivors of sexual violence.
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