Area businesses join with Stepping Stones to stop sexual assault

Taylor County businesses, Stepping Stones, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) have partnered up to spread awareness through NSVRC’s I ASK campaign during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). SAAM takes place every year in April. This is the fourth year Taylor County community members have participated in the I ASK campaign, which promotes the importance of consent as a means to reducing sexual violence within our community, versus strictly addressing the aftermath of sexual assault, the campaign reaches into the heart of the matter.

Every April, white signs that read “I ASK FOR CONSENT” pop up throughout Taylor County. Various examples of consent are written in colorful text on the sign’s background. Uncommon Ground, Taylored Nutrition and South Side Nutrition will also be working to raise awareness by distributing their products with I ASK cup sleeves throughout the month. In recognition of another year of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Stepping Stones staff members have incorporated a new addition to their awareness materials. The document titled “Consent as a Cup of Tea” simplifies consent by comparing the proper etiquette for serving a beverage to a guest to the proper etiquette for asking someone for consent to engage in sexual activity. The hope of Stepping Stones, Taylor County’s only non-profit domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy agency, is that the I ASK Campaign will continue sparking important conversations among people of all ages and backgrounds.

This awareness event has been very well received by the community, with nearly all businesses that were approached about participating having accepted. “It has been a record-breaking year for us, as we have over 120 businesses that openly recognize the importance of making this information available to their clientele,“ stated Stepping Stones Community Coordinator, Samantha Gehrke. The I ASK campaign is powerful in the sense that it breaks down the true meaning of consent, which is crucial in preventing harmful behaviors of all kinds. Consent isn’t exclusively applicable to our lives in the context of sexuality. We use it in our day-to-day lives. The NSVRC, the creator of I ASK, had this to say about the campaign “The campaign theme, I Ask, champions the message that asking for consent is a healthy, normal, and necessary part of everyday interactions.”

Stepping Stones Community Coordinator also added, “It’s amazing seeing everyone in the community, with many different specialties and backgrounds, coming together to promote something of such tremendous importance. After all, sexual violence affects us all. Statistically, we all encounter survivors every time we go out in public, with 1 out of 3 Wisconsin women and 1 out of 5 Wisconsin men being sexually assaulted in their lifetime. It is estimated that 1.2 million Wisconsinites have been victims/survivors of sexual violence. With that being noted, each participating business serves as a reminder to survivors that they are not alone and there are many of us in this community that do care, possibly share their experiences, and wish to create a culture that is free of all forms of violence.”