Everyone is affected. Everyone can use their voice. Everyone can make a difference.
Every October, communities come together to acknowledge and raise awareness around relationship and domestic violence. On campus, you may see purple everywhere, purple ribbons,purple shoes, purple lawn signs, and even the Campanile will be purple. Purple is the symbol of our commitment to confronting and ending relationship violence in the communities we live and work. Twenty-one percent of college students nationally report experiencing relationship violence in their current relationship. With the close to 50,000 Georgia Tech undergraduate and graduate students, we could fill the entire McCamish Pavilion with students who are currently experiencing dating or relationship violence.
Red Flag Campaign, Oct. 2-6 at Texas Instrument Plaza
Everyone can use their voice. Recognizing signs of an unhealthy relationship and knowing how to support a friend is a skill you can use to address relationship violence. The Red Flag Campaign will be on the Texas Instrument Plaza from Oct. 2-6, which displays seven signs of an unhealthy relationship. Join VOICE on Thursday, Oct. 5 in the John Lewis Student Center on the first floor to learn more about relationship violence, the spectrum of healthy, unhealthy, and abusive behaviors that relationships can experience over time, and how you can support a friend if they are in an unhealthy or abusive relationship.
The Clothesline Project, Oct. 16-20 at the Alpha Chi Omega House
Everyone is affected by relationship violence. Whether it is you or someone you know, there are students, faculty, staff, and other Georgia Tech community members who have seen or experienced the impacts of an unhealthy or abusive relationship. Join us during October to view the Clothesline Project on campus, a powerful visual display, of shirts with survivors’ stories and experiences. Each shirt represents someone in our community who has experienced harm in a relationship. Although you may not be able to see it every day, their story is written in how they walk onto campus and experience life, and this is their chance to share that story. It could be your professor, lab mate, or the staff member who supports you to register, check out library books, or find a student organization to participate in. This month is about showing up for those in our community who have experienced relationship violenceand having conversations about how we can recognize and address it when many of us know someone who is or has experienced it.
Wear Purple Day, Oct. 19
Everyone can make a difference in ending relationship violence. On Thursday, Oct. 19, we’re asking the Georgia Tech community to show up for survivors and commit to ending relationship violence. Wearing purple is a symbol to show that, as a community, we believe, support, and are committed to understanding the part we all play in addressing and ending sexual violence. If you don’t have anything purple, find us in the John Lewis Student Center on the first floor from 12-3 p.m. to collecta purple ribbon to wear. Please post a picture and share it with the @gtwellnesscenter and use #GTGoesPurple to show your support.