Together We Act, United We Change

A Campaign and Educational Pilot Program for Rape Awareness Week

Sylvia Saab, “Reducing Sexual Violence”, Air Force, 2012.

Dear Em is a New Zealand-based nonprofit seeking to build a supportive community for women and girls. They are specifically looking to sustain a network of women supporting women who have experienced sexual violence and raise awareness about this issue, as over 23,739 sexual violence victimizations have been reported in New Zealand between 2014 and 2018. Using our research about sexual violence in New Zealand, we have devised a proposal that would best accomplish two goals:

1. Increase participation in Rape Awareness Week

2. Get more young people involved in Dear Em

We will expand on strategies that would raise awareness about both the purpose of Rape Awareness Week and the events taking place during that week, including tangible options for campaigning. We will also explain our plan for a pilot program that would accomplish Dear Em’s mission of increasing education and youth involvement, primarily at the high school level, preventing sexual violence, and supporting those who have experienced it. 

Preliminary Research

Because high numbers of women in New Zealand experience sexual violence, providing support to survivors of sexual assault in New Zealand is an important goal for Dear Em. The last report on sexual violence from the Ministry for Women was released in 2019, indicating that the database is not up-to-date and thus cannot provide accurate information about the current state of sexual violence in New Zealand. In December 2021, the Sexual Violence Legislation Bill was introduced to the New Zealand Parliament with the intent of improving victims’ trust in the judicial system by making changes to the trial processes and evidence rules in court. 

A myriad of support services exist in New Zealand for survivors of sexual violence–some from the government level, but most are from NGOs and nonprofits such as Dear Em. Examples of community-based support include local help hotlines, safehouses, and education programs. 

Through extensive research, we have learned that sexual health education is extremely beneficial in preventing sexual violence and providing young people with the tools to discuss their experiences regarding sexual violence. As Rebekah Rollston explained in her publication Comprehensive Sex Education as Violence Prevention, “Teaching consent is key to preventing sexual violence.” Educating youth about gender equality and healthy relationships can also help prevent domestic and dating violence.

Another important piece regarding spreading awareness around sexual violence prevention and supporting survivors are programs and policies at the university level. The University of Auckland, the largest university in New Zealand, has implemented a policy concerning harmful sexual behaviors. It involves preventing harmful sexual behavior, establishing expectations for making and receiving disclosures, supporting members of the university community, and appropriately responding to disclosures. Their policy promotes a shared responsibility of preventing and responding to sexual violence on campus.  

Rape Awareness Week Goals

The goal of promoting Rape Awareness Week will serve to foster dialogue around the issue and remove stigma. Raising awareness is essential to educate the public about the prevalence and impact of sexual violence, while also empowering survivors and providing them with resources. Increasing visibility can foster a more supportive environment and a greater level of community engagement in prevention and advocacy efforts. Drawing attention to the purpose of Rape Awareness Week and its events can be accomplished through campaigning in a multitude of ways. Partnering with other organizations that share a similar mission will allow Dear Em to expand their audience and host larger events. Outreach initiatives such as postering and handing out pamphlets in commonly frequented areas can more easily allow people to become involved in Rape Awareness Week. Hosting fundraisers that double as community-building events can also help increase funds for outreach efforts. 

Furthermore, postering, using eye-catching colors and slogans, wearing certain symbols to correspond with awareness of different movements, and increasing social media presence, can better help spread Dear Em’s mission of supporting women who have experienced sexual violence. A slogan that informs people about Rape Awareness Week would also grab people’s attention and encourage them to attend the events. Using social media hashtags would also build community and spread Dear Em’s message online. 

Rape Awareness Week Postering Campaign Plans 

The primary objective of a postering campaign is to maximize visibility and community engagement prior to Rape Awareness Week. A typical physical campaign is estimated to span approximately 2-4 weeks; however, this campaign has been structured to occur over a 6-week timeline to ensure posters are publicly visible at least 3 weeks prior to the workshops. This extended visibility period allows for repeated audience exposure, which will ultimately enhance outreach and encourage greater public participation. Implementation of a successful postering campaign requires an initial understanding of the target audience to tailor effective messages, which would occur during the first week. To facilitate this understanding, Dear Em should send surveys to current supporters and volunteers in the organization, gathering information about their experience within Dear Em and what component of the organization they find most resonates with them. This feedback process would help Dear Em to identify which specific aspects of their campaign resonated most with current supporters, allowing them to emphasize these elements to appeal to a larger audience.

Using this information, Dear Em should then craft a clear, catchy slogan to display on the posters, ensuring a direct, visible “call to action”. Creating a “call to action,” such as including a QR code that viewers can scan to learn more or sign up to participate, instills a sense of urgency and encourages viewers to take immediate action. Over the second week, Dear Em should also look into local regulations regarding poster placement and identify high-traffic areas where viewership would be high. Some factors to consider include wall types/textures for durability purposes and seeking out areas with a customer demographic that aligns with Dear Em’s campaign.

Week 3 of the campaign would then transition into finalizing the design of the poster and sending it out for printing. Before printing, it is important to ensure the posters include large-font text and high-resolution photos in order to maintain an accessible, professional appearance. Sending out posters for professional printing introduces cost considerations, but prices vary heavily based on size, quality, and quantity. Low durability posters printed in-house may be suited for this campaign because of how brief the intended display period is, which reduces overall expenses while maintaining the effectiveness of the visuals.

Over the next 3 weeks, Dear Em should begin to place posters in areas where visibility is consistent, ensuring that all locations are periodically monitored so posters can be replaced if damaged. During this period of time, it is crucial to gather both qualitative and quantitative feedback from viewers in the target community via survey, email, etc. to better understand the effectiveness of the campaign and develop strategies for improvement. In addition, Dear Em should share the flyer across social media platforms to reinforce the campaign’s message and drive additional engagement.

Pilot Program Overview

Rape awareness education is a crucial part of promoting Rape Awareness Week, preventing sexual violence, and supporting survivors of sexual violence. Four essential pillars of rape awareness education as outlined by the Whakatu Maori Trust BodySafe program include: consent, respect, support, and active by-standing. These pillars informed our decision to create an education program that is engaging, interactive, and impactful for high school-age students. In order to accomplish this, we propose that Dear Em develop an opt-in sexual health education workshop series for high school-age students. 

Key aspects of this program include: 

• Youth-led teaching to help students feel more comfortable and receptive to the material

• Opt-in model to combat political/cultural resistance to the programming

• Can be hosted at public schools or community centers

• Curriculum topics which can be tailored to the needs of the community

• Incorporating educational programming and events to commemorate Rape Awareness Week

This program will provide high school-age students with the tools they need to educate their peers on sexual health and support those who have experienced sexual violence. This will be a collaborative safe space for people to discuss their experiences among well-informed peers if they choose to do so. Providing younger people with this information will also allow them to share it with their peers in a more comfortable environment where they will be more receptive. In addition, the long-term effects of strong sexual health education will be beneficial for promoting rape awareness week due to increased understanding of sexual health and sexual assault. 

Workshop Plans

In order to expand Dear Em’s impact, improve accessibility to sexual health education, and increase youth participation, Dear Em should establish interactive, opt-in sexual health workshops in high schools across New Zealand. Since Rape Awareness Week is a relatively brief campaign and the workshops are year-long, we suggest integrating the campaign’s events with the workshops, such as creating rape awareness activities for students to do and utilizing the network of workshops to promote campaign materials. In the long-term, the workshops aim to promote students’ overall wellbeing as well as increase students’ ability to make good decisions about their health. In addition, by providing sexual health education to youth, Dear Em can help students think critically and act fairly towards others, allowing students to become more confident and involved life-long learners. Workshop curricula would contain topics on:

• Anatomy and Physiology

• Puberty and Adolescent Development

• Gender Identity and Expression

• Sexual Orientation and Identity

• Sexual Health

• Consent and Healthy Relationships

• Interpersonal Violence

Anatomy and Physiology would take a more scientific perspective and approach to sexual health by teaching students about the human body and sexual anatomy. Puberty and Adolescent Development would include subjects such as fertility, menopause, menstruation, and male puberty, thus encouraging students to learn more about both themselves as well as each other. Accurate understanding of these topics are key to sexual development, sexual relationships, and sexual health—furthermore, this directly supports sexual violence prevention. The Gender Identity and Expression chapter would discuss cultural approaches to sexuality and the Sexual Health unit would introduce topics like Contraceptives and Dealing with STIs and STDs. Next, the Consent and Healthy Relationships chapter would teach students about effective communication, particularly in sexual relationships. It would also educate students about essential details like giving and receiving consent, which is crucial to healthy sexual decisions. Further topics would include problem-solving and demonstrating care and respect in relationships. This would encompass an exploration of aspects of love, intimacy, attraction, desire, romance, and pleasure as they relate to sexual health. Finally, students will be educated on Interpersonal Violence, allowing youth to better identify risks and dangers in interpersonal relationships. 

Dear Em also seeks to expand youth engagement within their organization, both for their regular nonprofit activities as well as in Rape Awareness week. Because the curriculum that would be taught in Dear Em’s workshops is not a requisite of New Zealand high schools, many students may not have easy access or exposure to other forms of sexual health education. Furthermore, since high school students are often still learning about consent, boundaries, and sexual health, they would be the prime target for Dear Em’s workshops, which can effectively prepare them for college and adult life. 

Based on New Zealand’s public school term system, the workshops will roll out over Terms 2 through 4 of the academic year. Term 1 for this year has already passed, but if workshops are established next year (2026) instead of starting in May of this year (2025), then Term 1 can be incorporated. Term 1 will focus on preparation, including finalizing the workshop curriculum and confirming facilitators. This step also includes outreach efforts, such as contacting schools and coordinating logistics for implementation. In Term 2, workshops will officially launch and Dear Em will collect data and feedback from students, staff, and families (but with high school students as targets). Term 3 will include continuing to teach workshop curriculum while adjusting based on collected data. Dear Em members should continue to spread the word by  reaching out to other organizations, postering, and connecting with new high schools. Finally, workshops will wrap up in Term 4 and Dear Em should begin planning for the next cycle: refining the curriculum, exploring potential new partnerships, and considering expansion to additional high schools or even universities across New Zealand. 

The costs for workshops are flexible, as they are based on what Dear Em is willing to do as well as their budget. For developing curricula and materials, as well as advertisement materials like posters and brochures, costs can range from $300-$500 depending on the amount of hands-on versus technological materials that the nonprofit chooses to use. If Dear Em chooses to hire new facilitators and experts other than their current volunteers, they may have to spend $3000-$6000. However, if volunteers and current Dear Em members are going to lead the workshops, this money is unnecessary. For workshops in general, including transportation and food for volunteers/facilitators, costs can range from $1000-$2000. Overall, the budget and costs of the workshops will depend on what Dear Em is willing to pay, as there are often many cheaper alternatives to otherwise expensive choices. 

Partnership and Sustainability

To effectively engage more individuals and organizations across New Zealand in Rape Awareness Week, Dear Em should collaborate with established organizations and campaigns focused on sexual assault awareness. Key partners could include Aviva, Brave Charitable Trust, Shine New Zealand, BodySafe TiakiTinana, and the White Ribbon Campaign. By partnering with these NGOs, Dear Em can utilize shared services, resources, knowledge, and networks, resulting in more sustainable impacts in raising awareness. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, collaborative efforts between organizations can be 50% more effective in achieving social impact. Through forging strategic alliances, Dear Em can broaden its reach, address complex challenges, and drive systemic change that aligns with the objectives of both Dear Em and its partners. 

Additionally, our team drew inspiration from Aviva’s 2022 Campaign for April Sexual Awareness Month, the White Ribbon Campaign, Planned Parenthood, and California’s PREVAIL Campaign to inform our recommendation for an educational pilot program and postering campaign aimed at raising awareness about sexual assault across New Zealand. By utilizing resources and support from major organizations like Aviva and Brave, Dear Em can reach a larger audience and incorporate more voices in educational discussions about sexual abuse and violence, thus making advocacy more accessible. The pilot program would also allow young people to more easily access important knowledge involving Rape Awareness Week and sexual assault prevention. This approach will thus empower more young people to engage in Dear Em’s mission. 

Conclusion

Our educational pilot program for high schoolers, alongside an organized postering campaign, would enable Dear Em to expand its services to young people across New Zealand. These initiatives would not only inspire engagement in Rape Awareness Week but also foster long-term awareness about sexual assault prevention and advocacy opportunities. The workshop-based educational program can be conducted annually, with a curriculum that adapts to meet evolving needs—in addition, Dear Em could benefit from partner organizations like Aviva and Brave, enhancing and sustaining impact while developing stronger relationships with advocacy groups. Ultimately, our recommendations support Dear Em’s long-term goal of sexual assault prevention advocacy through education, community engagement, and strong partnerships.