Ashley Bradley University Blogger-Center for Prevention of Abuse

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Center for Prevention of Abuse, the only agency in Illinois that provides combined services for domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse. Located in central Illinois, it is a safe haven for victims. Some of the sororities on my university’s campus actually donate money and items to this agency as part of their philanthropy. All of the services and items that the Center for Prevention of Abuse provides for its clients are thanks to donations. The types of services they provide include prevention, violence intervention, therapy, advocacy, domestic violence family centered, sexual assault, and senior services. Their main location actually provides emergency and transitional housing for high-risk (or “Priority Level 3”, as they rank those who may be admitted here) clients whose lives are in great danger. Many people will call in for help from this agency, and they provide them with the best resources to help them. They even offer programs for abusers (the Family Violence Intervention Project is connected with the Peoria County Family Justice Center), which will help them learn how to build positive, violence-free relationships. The services offered are very helpful to both victims and abusers to get them back on a positive path in life.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse is very protective of its clients. When it comes to their main facility, people cannot freely walk into the building. One must be buzzed in, or workers have to scan to enter the building and even certain areas within the building. With such high security because of the housing, it makes sense that the agency doesn’t list their address openly on their website. This is a place where survivors can truly feel safe, and I am happy that a place like this exists.

If you would like to know more about the Center for Prevention of Abuse and how you can help, visit their website at www.centerforpreventionofabuse.org.

Sexual Assault Prevention? There’s an app for that!-Courtney Indiana Blogger

As April showers are upon us once again, so is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  What is different about Sexual Awareness month in April 2012 is the publicity of the new free iPhone application called ‘Circle of 6,’ which is an app that was made in effort to prevent and spread awareness about sexual assault.  This app enables you to pick 6 trustworthy friends to put in your safety “circle,” and anytime you feel that you are stuck in an uncomfortable situation or conversation, you can simply press an icon on the app and it will send your location to the members of your circle to come pick you up or call you with a distraction.  The app even gives you instant access to local hotline or emergency numbers in cases when you are in immediate danger.

                I felt so proud of our technology-surrounded generation when I heard about this app.  While I admit to constantly checking up on social networking apps, such as Twitter and Facebook, and challenging my friends to a game of Words with Friends, I find these apps to be a waste-of-space compared to the Circle of 6 app, which I downloaded immediately after finding out about it.  I tend to get frustrated with how technology driven the college-aged generation is, and how at times it seems that the basis of our relationships are surrounded by social networking sites and texting, rather than meeting for coffee or calling each other on the phone.  However knowing that this new app is bringing social networking and sexual assault prevention together while bringing us access to such a powerful and safety-driven app really sheds new light onto the motivations and interests of our generation.  It is amazing that after only two short weeks this app was downloaded by 20,000 iPhone users trying to reduce their risk of becoming a victim of sexual assault.

                Most powerful about this new app is that when I added my 6 trustworthy friends to my circle, I then told them about the app, and then they downloaded the app and added 6 friends to their circle, who then they told their 6 friends about the app, and the cycle of awareness continues.  This app shows how spreading awareness can be as easy as letting a friend know that there is a way to reduce his/her risk of being victimized by sexual assault just by taking a few seconds to download a free app.