Get creative! There are endless ways to show your solidarity with the global victims and survivors of SGBV, and to raise awareness about the gender-based violence crisis in eastern Congo. Check out our new one-pager on sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war in the DRC, and make sure to pass it out at your event! Here are some event ideas for your STAND chapter:
- Tabling in your cafeteria or on the quad is always a good go-to action.
- Have a creative display on campus or in a public space to draw attention to the issue. The Clothesline Project is a great approach to take for this; keep in mind, however, that if your school has a group for survivors of sexual assault they may be planning a Clothesline Project event for April, so be sure to coordinate. Some other ideas: USC will be putting up a “Raise Hope for Congo” banner on frat row, and Ohio University will be spray painting the “Graffiti Wall.” It might be a good idea to set up a booth or table near your display for onlookers to send a valentine to President Obama.
- Bring an art display/photo exhibit to campus. The Truth Told Project and Congo/Women are good places to start looking.
- Screen The Greatest Silence.
- Host a panel discussion: see if professors from your International Affairs, Women’s Studies, or African Studies departments are available to speak. You can also use Friends of the Congo’s speaker request form to find available Congolese speakers in your area.
- Host or speak at an open mic or poetry reading.
- If another group on your campus or in your community is already holding an event for the One Billion Rising campaign, you can always get in touch with them to see if they’ll let you set up a table or give a presentation about sexual violence in the DRC.
If you’re planning to hold an event on February 14, tell us about it! Be sure to take lots of pictures, and send them to your Regional Organizer after your event so we can feature them on our blog. Don’t forget to include a description of how your event went, and how many valentines you sent off to President Obama.