What is SAAM
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) occurs every year in April to raise awareness about sexual assault and promote survivor support. This cause is promoted across the nation by different organizations and groups to show their support. The UConn Women’s Center has participated in SAAM for years, each time making it more accessible to our community. The theme we chose for SAAM 2024 is “It takes a village” because we want survivors to feel a sense of community in their healing journey. Everybody needs to have their village to support them during this time whether it is friends, family, or other survivors. This year we are planning to have a kickoff event to welcome people into our community and start spreading awareness and support at the start. We have a variety of events planned throughout the month with each week having two events. Towards the end of the month, we will be throwing one of the Women’s Centers biggest events; Take Back The Night. Please join us in our fight to diminish sexual assault on our campus.
2024 SAAM Events
‘S.A.A.M Kickoff: A Night of Creative Expression’
Welcome to the opening of Sexual Assault Awareness Month! Join us in the Women’s Center for a variety of arts and crafts to help spread awareness and build survivor support. We will have materials for writing, painting, and more! We also encourage you to join us in our SAAM Rock Campaign where we will be painting rocks and scattering them around campus to promote SAAM and support survivors.
LOCATION: Women’s Center Program Room
DATE: Monday, April 1st, 2024
TIME: 5:00 – 7:00pm
Teal Ribbon Tabling
Come by our table to get a free teal ribbon! These ribbons symbolize your support for survivors / victims of sexual assault. Wear them around campus and encourage people to wear them as well.
LOCATION: Student Union
DATE: Friday, April 5th, 2024
TIME: 12:00-3:00pm
Influential Women Wall – Who’s In Your Village?
The Influential Women Wall is a celebration of the wonderful women who make up our support systems. We wouldn’t be anywhere without them, so why not show them how much we appreciate them with a display of appreciation. Submit a photo of a woman who has influenced your life, and come to the Women’s Center to decorate the backs of them to contribute to a month-long installation.
LOCATION: Women’s Center Program Room
DATE: Wednesday, April 10th, 2024
TIME: 5:00 – 7:00pm
Whine about it
In collaboration with ASACC, the Women’s Center is hosting an event to raise awareness about the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships. We will be playing games and discussing red flags, yellow flags, and green flags while sipping sparkling cider and eating snacks!
LOCATION: ASACC Program Room
DATE: Monday, April 15th, 2024
TIME: 5:00 – 6:15pm
Sexual Health Symposium
Women’s health, reproductive justice, resources, sexual assault
Join us to ask questions and have open discussions about our bodies. This informal event provides students the opportunity to submit questions they have about their bodies regarding health, wellness, and safety. We will be covering topics such as contraception, STIs, hygiene, consent and more. Together we will learn and diminish false information we have been fed about our wellbeing.
LOCATION: Women’s Center Program Room
DATE: Wednesday, April 17th, 2024
TIME: 4:30 – 6:00 pm
Tinder profiles – “Building your own healthy community”
This interactive tabling event encourages people to identify the healthy and unhealthy signs in a relationship through Tinder Profiles! We will give you a selection of profiles for you to choose from to find your respective match! Come find us on Fairfield way to participate and win prizes.
LOCATION: Student Union
DATE: Friday, April 12th, 2024
TIME: 10:00am – 1:00pm
Consent in Pop Culture Workshop
Come join us for a workshop in which we dissect how consent is depicted in pop culture! From movies to songs, this workshop covers it all–both good and bad examples of how consent is portrayed, and why it was shown in one way or another.
LOCATION: Women’s Center Program Room
DATE: Monday, April 22nd, 2024
TIME: 4-5:30pm
Take Back The Night
The Women’s Center’s biggest event of the spring, Take Back The Night (TBTN) is an event for survivors and allies to come together in a community of growth and healing. This year, the theme of TBTN is ‘It Takes a Village’, highlighting the importance of community when it comes to healing from a sexual assault. We will have two fantastic speakers, a march to reclaim the darkness, and a candlelight vigil in honor of those who did not make it.
LOCATION: Student Union Ballroom
DATE: Wednesday, April 24th, 2024
TIME: 7:00 – 10:00pm
Hospital Bags
This fundraiser is an opportunity to help show support to survivors of sexual assault. These bags will be offered to survivors who seek out an examination kit so that they have the supplies they need to feel comfortable. Each bag will have a change of clothes, hygiene wipes and products, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and more. Every donation will contribute to obtaining the supplies and assembling these bags. We are collaborating with SHaW and their Safe Nurses in order to distribute the supplies.
Denim Day
Denim Day is a worldwide stance against victim blaming related to sexual assault. The Italian Supreme Court ruled against a survivor of sexual assault by using their tight jeans as a reason to overturn their case. Join us by wearing denim to show your support of survivors. For Denim Day, stop by our tabling event and take a photo in your denim day outfit! We also will have a community resource table that includes a variety of options for survivors and allies!
LOCATION: TBD
DATE: Friday, April 26
TIME: TBD
30 day social media challenge
Follow us on instagram to see our social media campaign for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Each week will have a theme in which our posts will elaborate on the topics. Make posts and tag us related to that week’s theme to show your support!
Instagram: @uconnwomenscenter
Volunteering Opportunities:
- Volunteer at Take Back The Night
- Come to the Women’s Center and make teal ribbons for our tabling event
- Help assemble the survivor hospital bags