Many victims and survivors of relationship violence feel that sharing their story, or even just specific portions of their story, has empowered them and been a key part of their healing and activism. Your reasoning for sharing your story is completely personal and the decision is entirely up to you.

Only if you want to! Some people find empowerment in sharing their name and others find empowerment in the anonymity. There is an option to provide your name when you submit, but it definitely isn’t a requirement.

This is also completely up to you! Story sharing can look many different ways. You could tell the details of what happened to you, the impact afterward, your healing process, a combination of all of those, or something else entirely. You could tell it in the form of a poem, narrative, or another written format. This is your story to share however you want to share it and however best works for you.

This Survivor Story Speak-Out is intended to center the stories of people in the Colorado State University community who have experienced some form of relationship violence. We know that people of all genders, races, and sexualities experience relationship violence. This is a space for all victims and survivors of relationship violence in CSU’s community to share.

If you are not a part of the CSU community, there are alternative places to share including the Do Better Campaign – https://www.instagram.com/thedobettercampaign/?hl=en.

Relationship violence can include physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, financial, academic, and/or identity-based abuse. For more information, visit https://reframe.colostate.edu/power-control-wheel/

We plan to share submissions via our social media (Instagram: @csu_wgac and Facebook: @womenandgenderadvocacy) and website. If you provide your email in the form, you’ll receive outreach once we begin to share. If not, you can keep up with us on our social media and/or website for updates.

For an example of how we’ve shared submissions related to sexual violence in the past, click here to reach the website with submissions from SAAM 2021. We recommend viewing the stories on a computer for optimal experience.

The SAFE Center invites primary and secondary survivors (including loved ones, friends, and family) to participate in the Survivors’ Speakers Bureau. Survivors complete a 3-hour orientation, and then speak for classes, programs, and conferences arranged through SAFE. Most of the speaking opportunities are for panels, where several survivors share their stories together.

For questions or to get involved, please email wgac@colostate.edu.

If you are not a part of the CSU community, there are alternative places to share including the Do Better Campaign – https://www.instagram.com/thedobettercampaign/?hl=en.

On-Campus:

• CSU SAFE Victim Assistance Team 24-hour hotline : (970) 492-4242

Local Community:

• Crossroads Safehouse 24-hours hotline : (970) 482 – 3502 or call toll-free at (888) 541-7233, https://crossroadssafehouse.org/
• SAVA (Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy Center) 24-hour hotline : (970) 472-4200, savacenter.org
• Alternatives to Violence 24-hour hotline : (970) 669-5150, alternativestoviolence.org