The issue of domestic violence, rape, etc. hold a special place in my heart–and we must not settle for or be satisfied with awareness. A social marketing initiative you might find interesting is AED’s “Red Card.” While not implemented in the US, it shows how to empower the target audience with tools to address the “how” that Mike describes. It’s one of my favorites. Let’s celebrate where we are, but let’s push beyond awareness—perhaps to empowerment?

I’ve found that the questions David posted above are essential. They are easy to ask and make a lot of sense.

I’ve been talking to a lot of folks lately throughout the country who feel a heavy expectation to do something grand for SAAM, when they’d rather focus on continuing their current comprehensive prevention work. My suggestion is to use awareness activities to build a base of support for more in-depth prevention efforts.

I’m glad we are talking about this!

“I’m aware of Ritz crackers, but I still eat Wheat Thins.”

Awareness is a stage of learning, not a strategy for building justice. Awareness is different than consciousness, different than vision, different than strategy, and certainly different than organized democratic resistance.

Awareness as a strategy for change is neither commensurate with the problem nor consistent with our goal to end violence. Our current state of affairs is that:
* We live in communities that enable and reinforce our sexism and patriarchy (over each other and over folks outside our communities). (Anyone watch the superbowl recently? – or worship in a place that encourages hierarchy based on gender?)
* We have private and public institutions that employ a strategy of wedge issues (or divide and conquer) along many lines including sexism/patriarchy/homophobia/islamaphobia. (ahem silo’s anyone?)
* We live in a vision for the world in which the very few get to make decisions for and take advantage of the rest of the world. And to boot they get us to participate in their vision through war, economic and ecologic violence, and violence upon ourselves and each other.

And as a “movement” we have relied heavily on “awareness” – and “awareness” can and has been co-opted. In other words it has corporate sponsorship (and the commensurate accountability to corporations that comes with it). We can rectify this by reconnecting with analysis, our full stories, and talking truth instead of palatable media bites. Black, indigenous, and immigrant working class and poor women have been long at the struggle for justice that informs the movement I belong to. Long before the last 30 years. (is that 1980? was that even when the rape crisis and and DV shelter based efforts actually started?) What about the fight for justice for queer folks, and folks disabled through occupational hazard (Helen Keller’s work comes to mind). These are my fore mothers and fore queer parents (the ones that will have me at least).

If we keep thinking of consciousness of the problem of rape, domestic violence etc… as sufficient – we lose out on building with and FOR all of the people that are hurt by patriarchy, war, sexism, and economic exploitation.

I’m done with awareness – I am however down with – analysis, consciousness and shared vision and collective strategy – And since that isn’t likely to be funded – I’m down to have lunch and talk about it. See you at the lunch room friends, colleagues, allies, and fellow builders of peace.

Peace,
ramesh

The person knows he/she is “suppose” to get consent, but too many people do not believe it is “realistic” to always get consent or they act according to “assumed consent” (which is an oxymoron). Why do they have this struggle? Too many programs teach Awareness of consent without teaching HOW to take the proper steps to having consent (in a realistic manner people believe they can utilize in their own lives). You start by insuring you have awareness and then follow-through by teaching HOW to implement the awareness in daily life (taking action).

As we travel teaching these concepts, people always ask why no one is teaching this as part of school curriculum. Most students share they only learn “awareness.” The goal must be to have people take positive actions to create change!

I believe that it is important to gather more than just the DV or SV community together and the only way to draw in the general public, in my opinion, is to offer things they can DO instead of just sitting in a crowd listening to speakers or walking around booths looking at brochures.

My question is HOW do I do this? HOW do I message this to the community so they come? WHEN is the best time to host events? WHAT will help spark the same desires to prevent DV and SV that I have?