Chatham receives grant to support sexual violence prevention programs

Chatham University has received a $30,000 grant from the Governor’s It’s On Us PA program for the second consecutive year. With this grant, Chatham aims to prevent sexual violence early on in a student’s career, further support survivors of sexual and gender-based abuse, train faculty staff and students to be responsible bystanders, and involve all members of Chatham’s community in prevention.

This grant will fund:

• training for first-year students on consent and bystander prevention during orientation;

• participation by students, faculty and staff in The Green Dot Bystander program, an evidence-based program shown to create cultural change in bystander behaviors;

• It’s On Us week events and campus workshops;

• the Chatham Masculinities Project, a project that engages men and male-identifying students in regular dialogue sessions about the role men can play in creating change around violence; and

• the implementation of a Climate Survey project to provide a holistic view of students, staff, and community members’ attitudes towards Chatham’s efforts regarding Gender and Sexual Violence Prevention and foster conversation about ways to improve them.

Building off the national It’s On Us movement, It’s On Us PA brings together all members of college and university communities to reframe the conversation around sexual violence and pledge to be part of the solution.