Monday, April 1, 2013

Widener University Promotes Domestic Violence Awareness



The Widener Center for Violence Prevention is proud to host, Take Back the Night, a day of events to promote awareness of sexual assault and domestic violence.

The events will begin at noon on Wednesday, April 3 in University Center (14th Street between Melrose Avenue and Walnut Street) with the Clothesline Project, a display of T-shirts created by survivors of abuse and those who have lost loved ones to violence. Guests will also have the opportunity to create their own T-shirts in dedication to victims.

Several workshops will also be held throughout the day in University Center, starting at noon with a self-defense workshop with state troopers and a talk on dating 101 by Blake Cohen of the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County. A professor will also speak on communicating about abuse and a doctoral student will give a presentation on the sexual victimizing of men.  

At 5:30 p.m. there will be a keynote lecture featuring Debra Puglisi-Sharp, author of Shattered, Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence. The evening will conclude with a candlelight march through the campus to demonstrate a unified stance against all acts of violence and abuse.  

Each session is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Elizabeth Braccia at embraccia@mail.widener.edu.

Take Back the Night is an internationally recognized event intended as a protest and direct action against rape and other forms of violence towards women. In recent years, Widener University has expanded the scope of the event to
demonstrate a zero-tolerance mentality towards all acts of violence against both men and women, on campus and in the community at large.

Take Back the Night

Promoting Awareness of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

Schedule of events:  Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Clothesline Project: Decorate a shirt to express your or a friend’s experience with violence; 12-4 p.m., University Center, Atrium

What is the Clothesline Project?

Victims, family of victims, or friends of victims are welcome to decorate shirts to spread awareness of sexual violence. Each shirt color represents a different type of abuse. After the shirt is decorated it is hung on a clothesline for all to see as a testimony to this problem and to honor those affected.

White – represents those who died from violence
Yellow – represents battered or assaulted victims
Pink – represents survivors of rape/sexual assault
Green – represents survivors of incest and sexual abuse
Purple – represents those attacked due to sexual orientation

Workshops:  Each session held in the University Center is free and open to the public.

Room A:
12–12:45 p.m.
Basic Self Defense With State Troopers
1–1:45 p.m.
Basic Self Defense With State Troopers
2–2:45 p.m.
Dana Forrest, “How Men can be More Involved in Issues of Violence Against Women”
3–3:45 p.m.
Victoria Panna, Human Sexuality Doctoral Student, “The Sexual Victimizing of Men”

Room C:
12–12:45 p.m.
Blake Cohen, Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County “Dating Violence 101”
1–1:45 p.m.
Dr. Angela Corbo PhD, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies “Communicating About Abuse”
2–2:45 p.m.
Blake Cohen, Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County “Dating Violence 101”
3:20–4:00 p.m.
Dr. Angela Corbo PhD, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies “Communicating About Abuse”

Main Event:

Keynote Speaker: Debra Puglisi-Sharp, author of Shattered, Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence at 5:30 p.m. in the University Center, Webb Room
In April 1998, Debra Puglisi Sharp - wife, nurse, and mother of teenage twins - was attacked, raped, and kept hostage for five days by a man who broke into her home and shot and killed her husband of 25 years. She promotes the understanding of the difference between a survivor and a victim and urges rape victims to reclaim their shattered lives.

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