About SAAM

Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is recognized nationally every April to raise awareness about sexual and gender-based violence through education, prevention, and survivor support. Sexual and gender-based violence includes a range of harmful behaviors, including, but not limited to sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, and sexual harassment.

Join us throughout April for a series of events, activities, and programs designed to empower individuals and strengthen our community in our mission to end sexual and gender-based violence.

Events

Special Event: Take Back the Night

LiveWell and SARVA
Wednesday, April 23rd, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Husky Union Building (HUB) North Ballroom, 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195
Take Back the Night Event RSVP
Join us in supporting survivors and helping to end sexual and gender-based violence with our empowering keynote and student speakers, an inspiring student-created art exhibit, and a beautiful candlelight vigil honoring survivors. Learn about resources available for survivors and how you can make a difference. For fraternity and sorority members, this event counts towards your IPV recognition requirement. FREE dinner and refreshments are provided.

Please RSVP by Friday, April 18th so we can have accurate count for food, refreshments, and seating.

If you would like to submit art for the art exhibit, please fill out the following form:
Take Back the Night Art Exhibit Submission Form

Keynote Speaker: Lori Bednarchik, PhD, MPH
Dr. Lori Bednarchik is an award-winning college professor and program developer; a professional speaker, and sex[ual communication] enthusiast.  For the past 10 years, she has worked closely with athletes, fraternity men, and college students across the country, challenging the norms surrounding relationships, consent, and sex.  In the age of #MeToo and #TimesUp, and an increasingly divided discussion of sexual misconduct, she is a refreshing, uncensored, uninhibited, and positive voice. 

Lori holds a PhD in Human Communication from Arizona State University, an MPH in Health Education and Health Promotion, and BA in English and Gender Studies from The University of Maryland.  She lectures at Arizona State University, San Diego State University, California State University at San Marcos…among other universities.  Previously, she worked as a Health Educator at San Diego State University where she created several award-winning programs on bystander intervention education, and alcohol risk-reduction.  She also re-designed and facilitated a Peer Health Education Program specifically for fraternity men called FratMANers (Fraternity Men Against Negative Environments and Rape Situations).  She trained over 150 fraternity men to be advocates on campus, educating their brothers and peers about sexual violence against women and how they can be part of the solution. 

History of Take Back the Night

Take Back the Night (TBTN) is a global movement to end sexual violence. It began in 1975 when women in Philadelphia held a demonstration after the murder of Susan Alexander Speeth. Similar protests emerged in Germany and England, and in 1976, a nighttime march at the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women in Brussels helped internationalize the movement.

Founded in 2001, the Take Back the Night Foundation (TBTNF) provides survivors with resources, event support, and legal aid. Today, TBTN events worldwide—including marches, vigils, and educational workshops—continue to drive legislative change, support survivors, and work toward ending sexual violence.

We are thrilled to bring back this empowering event to the University of Washington since it was lasted hosted in 2011!

SARVA and LiveWell Survivor Love Letters

SARVA and LiveWell
Visit one of our tabling events throughout the month to receive information about SARVA, LiveWell, and ways you can prevent sexual and gender-based violence and support survivors. Also, you will have the opportunity to write anonymous letters of support for survivors visiting local survivor support centers.

Dates, Times, and Locations:

  • Thursday, April 3 | 1:00 – 4:00 PM (Ode) & 1:30 – 3:30 PM (Red Square)
  • Monday, April 7th | 12:00 – 2:00 PM (Red Square)
  • Tuesday, April 8th | 4:00 – 7:00 PM (Ode)
  • Wednesday, April 16, 2025 | 1:00 – 4:00 PM (Ode)
  • Friday, April 18 | 12:00 – 2:00 PM (HUB Lawn)

Candle Making

SARVA and the ASUW Black Student Commission
Monday, April 14th, 5:00 – 7:30 PM
Husky Union Building (HUB) 337, 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195
Candle Making Event RSVP
Join SARVA and your fellow huskies to build community and practice self-care while creating candles together. RSVP required!

Self-Defense Classes

SARVA
Monday, April 28th
1:00 – 2:00 PM or 8:30 – 9:30 PM
University of Washington Intramural Activities Building (IMA) Mat Room A, 3924 Montlake Blvd NE, Seattle, WA 98195
Self-Defense Classes RSVP: Coming soon
Join one of two SARVA’s Self-Defense Classes at the IMA. RSVP required!

Denim Day Fashion Show

SARVA and MESH
Wednesday, April 30th, 12:20 – 12:30 PM
Red Square, 4063 Spokane Ln, Seattle, WA 98105
Dress in denim in solidarity with survivors and come see SARVA and MESH’s Denim Day Fashion Show! This annual day of action and awareness is an event in which people are encouraged to wear denim to combat victim blaming and educate others about sexual violence.

Denim Day was originally created in response to a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the survivor was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her perpetrator remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. Women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans the following day in solidarity with the survivor. More info at https://denimday.org/ and https://www.peaceoverviolence.org/denim-day.

University of Washington Resources

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual or gender-based violence, you may wish to seek our resources or support. The resources below provide guidance on how to navigate these situations and provide support while respecting a survivor’s privacy.

Additional Resources

Sponsors

UW LiveWell

The LiveWell Center for Advocacy and Health Promotion is a dedicated unit of professionals who believe in the impact of health promotion, advocacy, and education. The team works collaboratively to deliver effective educational programming and intervention services to students at the University of Washington. Their goal is to foster a community where individual agency is powered to positively impact health and well-being in our communities and in our own lives. LiveWell is committed to raising awareness, promoting community and accountability, and teaching lifelong practices for health and well-being.

ASUW SARVA

Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Activists (SARVA) is a student-led entity of the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) dedicated to combating sexual assault and relationship violence in the UW community. We serve as liaisons between the student body and institutional resources, providing advocacy, education, and programming for survivors and allies. SARVA works to raise awareness, dispel myths, and foster open discussions about sexual assault and relationship violence. Through activism and education, we aim to create a sex-positive culture while advocating for survivors and providing vital support to the UW community.

Questions?

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please email lwevents@uw.edu.