MEETING NOTES

Mark Andrews introduced Christian Murphy, co-owner and executive director of Catharsis Productions.  His organization is the preeminent sexual assault prevention team among military and collegiate Americans over the last 15 years, having reached over two million people.  Chris and his friend Barb started Catharsis Productions with the mission of changing the world by producing innovative, accessible, research-supported programs that shift oppressive attitudes and transform behaviors about sexual violence. 

SEXSIGNALS is a 75-minute interactive program started on college campuses, which was then embraced by the military in the face of sobering statistics.  One in five women on college campuses has been the victim of sexual violence.  Within a 2 year period, 26,000 military personnel were victims of sexual violence while on duty. Programs focus on training active bystanders, gender role-plays, exposing underlying attitudes and stereotypes, that in the extreme are dangerous. 

 In 15 years, after 8,500 presentations at 1,100 campuses and 250 military installations, Christian reported that at the Great Lakes Naval Base, there was a 73% reduction in sexual assault before their comprehensive program including SEXSIGNALS was in place.  Our Rotarian take-aways:  talk to both sons and daughters; define fully-informed consent; clarify risk – reduction, rape prevention; rape is never the victim’s fault; if they disclose – take their lead; bystander intervention is the most powerful prevention.