Why We’re Walking Wednesdays, Volume 1

Around our offices, we're all looking forward to April 7th. Not just because we're tired of snow boots and neutral wool clothes, but because the Walk for Change is right around the corner!

Certainly, we love the opportunity to support our hardworking colleagues and volunteers who get the event up and running (and Walking!) each year, and we're endlessly grateful for the financial support of the people who register, donate, and sponsor it.

It's also our opportunity to showcase what we really love about taking on an issue as complex and frustrating as sexual violence, and why we're so proud to do it for BARCC.

With that in mind, each Wednesday between now and April 7th, we're celebrating Why We're Walking Wednesdays here, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Why We're Walking,
featuring the Staff and Interns of BARCC

• I am walking because I can’t think of a better cause than BARCC or a better place to spend the morning than the Esplanade.
  I’m walking because I believe.  I believe that people can make a difference.  I believe that future generations can live in a world free of sexual violence.  I believe in change.
• I walk because I grew up in a place where we didn’t talk about sexual violence. It happened but was shared in whispers and looks. I’m walking because we live in a world that excuses violence against certain peoples: people who are non-white, queer, trans, with disabilities, working class, and people who have vaginas. I walk because I learned to talk about sexual violence. I’m walking so others can find the language to talk about their experiences too.  I’m walking so that we create a world where all peoples are treated with dignity and respect.
• I’m walking because I tell teens that this is an important issue all the time. I believe that my example helps them to see that I’m not pretending and that causes need more than lip service.
• I am walking to show that while there is a lot of work that needs to be done, that there are many individuals, groups, and organizations who believe that the work should – and can – be done.  I walk to show my support of the work that people do each and every day to heal, to talk, and to prevent sexual violence.
  This April, I will be starting my 10th year working at BARCC - the longest I have ever worked at one place. I am still here because I am inspired every day by the amazing work of my colleagues and BARCC volunteers and the difference that I see their work makes in the lives of survivors, their families and friends. The Steubenville case reminds us of the importance of not only our work with survivors but also the work we do in day care centers, middle schools, high schools and colleges to prevent sexual violence by working with staff and students to be active bystanders and understand consent. And we do it all on a shoestring budget (I should know!).
• Because I really believe that it makes the world change for the better when we stand up,  together,  for what we value.

Why are YOU walking?