WELLWVU: The Students’ Center of Health at West Virginia University will launch a new program called Green Dot to help prevent sexual assault, partner violence, stalking and bullying in April.
The majority of people, either directly or indirectly, will experience violence in their lives. Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. Between one-in-four and one-in-five college women experience completed or attempted rape during their college years, and one in 33 men report experiencing a completed or attempted rape. Among college women, nine-in-10 victims of rape and sexual assault will know their offender.
With Green Dot, people learn to recognize high-risk situations and how to safely protect themselves and others from potentially violent situations. Whether that is making sure your friends return home safely after a night out or calling the police when you hear a domestic dispute next door instead of assuming someone else will call, these are preventive measures that people feel they can manage.
Green Dot attempts to provide people will safe techniques that help people to be an active bystander and intervene in potentially violent situations.
All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend one of the Green Dot Overview Speeches in April. The basic elements of Green Dot will be introduced and participants will be engaged in immediate action for violence prevention. The dates for the Overview Speeches are as follows:
- Monday, April 2 at 7 p.m.; Mountainlair, Monongahela Room
- Thursday, April 12 at 7 p.m.; Mountainlair, Shenandoah Room
- Wednesday, April 18 at 7 p.m.; Mountainlair, Shenandoah Room
- Tuesday, April 24 at 7 p.m.; Mountainlair, Shenandoah Room
WELLWVU, Office of Wellness and Health Promotion, is also offering the Green Dot Bystander Training on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Monongahela Room of the Mountainlair. This will be an interactive training designed to equip participants with the necessary connection, knowledge and skill to increase their proactive and reactive bystander behaviors. This training is open to all students, faculty and staff at WVU.
Green Dot is offered during protectWELL month, which is one of overall liveWELL campaign themes designated by WELLWVU. The liveWELL monthly thematic educational programs and social marketing campaigns are used to promote healthy behaviors.
For more information on Green Dot or to register for the bystander training, please contact Dr. Judy Murnan, WELLWVU health education specialist, at 304-293-3571 or judy.murnan@mail.wvu.edu
-WVU-
jm/03/26/12
CONTACT: Judy Murnan, WELLWVU
304-293-3571, Judy.Murnan@mail.wvu.edu
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.