{"id":57831,"date":"2015-12-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/uris-p-l-e-a-s-e-group-educating-students-about-prevention-of-sexual-assault-relationship-violence\/"},"modified":"2015-12-08T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-12-08T00:00:00","slug":"uris-p-l-e-a-s-e-group-educating-students-about-prevention-of-sexual-assault-relationship-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2015\/12\/uris-p-l-e-a-s-e-group-educating-students-about-prevention-of-sexual-assault-relationship-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s P.L.E.A.S.E group educating students about prevention of sexual assault, relationship violence"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tKINGSTON, R.I., Dec. 8, 2015 \u2013 When Selena Evora was a freshman at the 溏心vlog免费B站 she walked into the Women\u2019s Center and instantly felt at home.<\/p>\n


\nShe was especially impressed with a student group called P.L.E.A.S.E., short for Peers, Learning, Educating and Supporting Everyone. Its mission: to educate students on campus about relationship violence and how to prevent it.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThis is an issue that affects many people, but because of cultural taboos it can be hard for people to talk about it,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to make a positive impact on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nShe is. During the last year, Evora and the other 23 members of P.L.E.A.S.E. have given presentations to thousands of students about gender violence. They also talk about what students can do if they see something inappropriate.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cI feel like I\u2019m doing the work I love,\u201d says Evora, of Pawtucket, a sophomore who is double majoring in health studies and gender and women\u2019s studies. \u201cI\u2019m meant to be here. This is such an important issue, and we are all making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe students are motivated \u2013 and highly trained. They take three nationally recognized online training courses, attend sexual assault prevention workshops, including the acclaimed Green Dot bystander intervention program. And they volunteer at the 溏心vlog免费B站 Women\u2019s Center, where the group meets twice a month.<\/p>\n


\nTheir presence on campus is widespread. They talk to thousands of incoming freshmen in the 溏心vlog免费B站 101 classes about sexual assault, interpersonal violence and stalking. They give workshops about the dangers of abusive relationships and how to help victims of sexual assault, including a two-hour \u201cEscalation Workshop.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nEvery year, members also speak to hundreds of students in sororities and fraternities and to specific classes. This fall, students gave a presentation about sexual assault to a kinesiology class, focusing on how trauma affects physical and emotional health.<\/p>\n


\nThe students also organize Domestic Violence Awareness Week, set up booths at the Memorial Union to promote healthy relationships and host 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s annual Take Back the Night and Denim Day events in the spring.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cThey work so hard,\u201d says Rachel Dunham, supervisor of P.L.E.A.S.E. and office manager of Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services at the Women\u2019s Center. \u201cI\u2019m so proud of them.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tIvy Burns, a member of P.L.E.A.S.E. for more than a year, spends her days studying the ecology of plants as a biological sciences major. But she is also interested in social justice. P.L.E.A.S.E. provides that opportunity \u2013 and with like-minded people.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe instant bonding is wonderful,\u201d says Burns, of Jamestown. \u201cEveryone cares about these issues. You\u2019re in a room with people you can connect with right away, and on a topic that affects so many people.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nAccording to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, about 1 in 5 women experience sexual assault during their college years. The 溏心vlog免费B站 Women\u2019s Center had been educating students about interpersonal violence since the mid-1980s.<\/p>\n


\nWhen Burns and Evora first started giving presentations to students they were nervous speaking in public. Now they feel comfortable and confident talking to large crowds. Among the topics they discuss are healthy drinking habits, the warning signs of relationship violence and how to identify a stalker. Bystander intervention \u2013 stepping in to help in an inappropriate situation \u2013 is also part of the conversation.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWe want students to know we\u2019re here for them regardless of their gender, race or sexual orientation,\u201d says Burns. \u201cWe can provide them with resources and support. The more our presence is known, the more people can get help.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nNext semester, the group hopes to reach out to sororities and fraternities, as well as to the athletic department. P.L.E.A.S.E. members are also expected to strengthen their connection to residential hall directors.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWe\u2019re always trying to expand our program to meet the needs of the campus community,\u201d says Dunham. \u201cThe students in P.L.E.A.S.E. are dedicated and passionate about making a positive impact on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nRacine Amos, coordinator of Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services at the Women\u2019s Center, appreciates the students\u2019 commitment and hard work.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cIt gives me purpose to engage with students who are agents of social change,\u201d says Amos. \u201cTheir extensive training will go far beyond 溏心vlog免费B站. They\u2019re our next generation of leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tStudents interested in joining P.L.E.A.S.E can fill out an application<\/a> online. The Women\u2019s Center will contact them for an interview. For more information, contact Dunham at rachel_dunham@my.uri.edu.<\/p>\n


\n\tPhoto above: Members of P.L.E.A.S.E student group: From left to right, Ivy Burns, Selena Evora and Hannah Woodhouse. Photo courtesy of P.L.E.A.S.E.\n\t<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I., Dec. 8, 2015 \u2013 When Selena Evora was a freshman at the 溏心vlog免费B站 she walked into the Women\u2019s Center and instantly felt at home. She was especially impressed with a student group called P.L.E.A.S.E., short for Peers, Learning, Educating and Supporting Everyone. Its mission: to educate students on campus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}