When people meet survivors of interpersonal violence or hear their stories, they often don’t know what to say. It can be uncomfortable. As a survivor herself, Alli Watt understands that. That is why she started Breaking Silence, a local nonprofit organization that provides an interactive exhibit that allows participants to personally experience the lives and stories of survivors. Interpersonal violence includes crimes such as domestic violence or adult and childhood sexual assault.
Participants walk through an exhibit that recreates the physical spaces in which survivors’ stories take place, while listening through individual audio players as survivors tell their own stories of abuse and their journeys of healing. You can go at your own pace and experience each story for yourself. The exhibit creates a safe space for you to ask questions and engage as much or as little as you want, while gaining an understanding of what survivors experience. The ultimate goal of the exhibit and Breaking Silence is to create a healed culture – one in which there is empathy for survivors, and in which interpersonal violence is prevented.
Stories of Survival: The Details
Where: University of Colorado, Boulder; UMC Ballroom
When: October 7 and 8, 10am – 6pm
The exhibit takes about twenty minutes to go through, on average
Cost: Free
From Executive Director and Founder, Alli Watt
Who is this exhibit for?
The exhibit is for everyone. It’s f or every person that has been impacted by these crimes, who has wondered what consent really means. Anyone who wants to say ‘no more’ to domestic violence and sexual assault. The reason we are on university campuses is because we know the likelihood of these crimes happening exponentially increases for this age group.
What do you hope participants will get out of the exhibit?
Participants will step out feeling empowered and knowing that they can make a difference. Often times hearing statistics like 1 in 5 women and 1 in 6 men will be impacted by these crimes becomes daunting and overwhelming. The exhibit personalizes these crimes and gives people the tools that they need to make a change. We hope every person will walk out knowing that they can support someone who has been harmed, can stop someone who may assault, and can believe someone when all they need is to be heard.
Help break the silence by participating in the upcoming event or by following Breaking Silence on Facebook or Twitter.
