Each year, April is designated as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The initial goal of SAAM was to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual violence and its impact on survivors, and has since expanded to focus on community education and violence prevention. SAAM has been recognized at UC San Diego since 2007 and serves as an opportunity for all members of our community to get involved and learn more about our role in creating an anti-violent community.
CARE at the Sexual Assault Resource Center coordinates the campus-wide activities for SAAM, including the development of the annual theme. This year’s theme, Building a Community of CARE, aims to empower our entire UCSD community to find meaningful ways to build a safe, equitable and respectful campus. Connected communities that have a shared goal can create lasting changes that prevent sexual violence. Our SAAM theme this year encourages students, staff, faculty and community members to adopt tangible daily actions that reduce harm and support survivors.
Some of the key dates and events during SAAM 2024 include:
- Nationwide Awareness Days
- Program and Training Highlights:
- Yes, No, Maybe?: Clarifying Consent (as part of the iLead series)
- Empowering Employees to Intervene: Sexual Harassment (in partnership with OPHD)
- Holistic Healing Programs
- CARE Anchor: Healing through Grounding (at the Farmers Market)
- Yoga as Healing Community Drop-In Session (in partnership with the Raza Resource Centro)
- Rainbow Reef: Consent, Boundaries and Beyond (in partnership with the LGBT Resource Center, as a joint program with Out and Proud Weeks)
For the full SAAM calendar, detailed event descriptions, and registration information, please visit saam.ucsd.edu and follow @ucsdcare on Instagram.
In recognition of this annual event, two hours of administrative leave with pay has been approved so that employees may attend a UC San Diego Sexual Assault Awareness Month activity. Supervisors, upon request, may approve the use of such leave when the absence does not infringe upon the performance of required job duties or patient care.
While SAAM highlights the importance of raising awareness and building healthier communities free of sexual violence, we recognize that the increased prevalence of these discussions can be challenging for survivors with direct experience of these issues. If you are in need of support services or additional resources during this time, please contact our confidential CARE advocates at (858) 534-5793.
