New Peer Education Program Added to VASE

Plans are currently underway for a sexual assault peer education training program to be offered to students in Jan. 2010. Kendra Marasco '87 encourages anyone interested in becoming a peer educator to take part in a four-hour training session in which he/she will be educated on topics of sexual assault, dating violence, and the best ways to educate others. Trained peer educators will eventually attend hall meetings to discuss these issues with RAs and students. "Peer educators should be equipped with the knowledge, facts, and myths about sexual assault and dating violence so they can answer questions from students," said Marasco. "The more students trained as peer educators, the better off this campus will be." The initial plans for the peer education program have been approved by Rev. Brendan Murphy, O.P., vice president of Student Affairs Administration, and will be finalized in the near future. Prior to the establishment of the peer education program, Marasco assembled a new organization at Providence College; Victim Advocacy Support and Education [VASE]. VASE serves as a resource for students who are seeking information and support regarding sexual assault and dating violence. "VASE allows for students to give consent before being contacted by us," said Marasco. "People should feel personally empowered about sexual assault or dating violence-this is why V.A.S.E. only contacts students if they want to be contacted. Students are free, however, to contact VASE anytime they would like." Marasco hopes the addition of the peer education program to the VASE organization will further assist in preventing sexual assault and dating violence at the College. "The more comfortable students are talking about the issue, the less it will happen," said Marasco. "Friends will go to friends more likely than they will go to authority, and this is why it's important for students to have the training to educate their peers on sexual assault and dating violence." Twelve people, the majority of them women, have signed up for the peer education program. Marasco would like to see more male students get involved in the program. "It is important that men be educated on sexual assault and dating violence as well as women," said Marasco. "Men need to hold men accountable." As part of a gender action project for his women's studies course, Ryan Alescio '10 has decided to help promote the new peer education program, specifically to the male population at Providence College. "I plan on going through the peer education training and then I hope to speak in some of the all-male freshman dorms to try to spark some interest in the issue and get them involved in the peer education program." Alescio is a secondary education major and believes that as a future teacher and a male, it is important to be educated on sexual assault and dating violence. "Being aware and trained as a peer educator will help me as a teacher, because I will eventually be working with students who are of the ages that are greatly impacted by sexual assault." Alescio became inspired by sexual assault and dating violence advocacy at a sexual assault workshop he attended this summer as an orientation leader. "Sexual assault and dating violence do affect men," said Alescio. "They can be assaulted, they can be dating a victim, and they have many females in their lives." As part of his project, Alescio is assisting Marasco in recruiting men for the peer education training program in addition to spreading awareness on sexual assault and dating violence in other ways on campus. "My main goal is to get more males to come out for the peer education training, but I also think it would be great if guys could come out for events like 'Take Back the Night' so they can become aware of the fact that sexual assault is real and needs to be stopped."