‘You’re Not Alone’ aims to support survivors of sexual assault
(Harrisburg) — Advocates in Lancaster are responding to the national #MeToo movement with a campaign of their own.
The YWCA Lancaster is launching the “You’re Not Alone” campaign by collecting videos of people in the community saying the phrase.
The goal is to support and validate survivors of sexual assault while raising awareness of the issue.
Sexual assault counselor Natalie Fletcher came up with the idea, partially inspired by the “It Gets Better” campaign aimed at gay youth.Â
She says she hopes this campaign will lead to more education and a shift in attitudes that blame victims for their assaults. Right now, some victims feel like they’ve failed to protect themselves.
“And we need to shift that focus because nobody needs to protect themselves from sexual assault, we need to stop people from committing sexual assault,” Fletcher said.Â
Fletcher hopes “You’re Not Alone” will contribute to a culture change.Â
“We’re hoping that this will be a time for us to make lasting changes,” Fletcher said. “This will be a time for us to get people invested, so that when the national attention moves to something else, there will still be an investment there with people.”
Videos can be submitted to nfletcher@ywcalancaster.org until February 28th.Â
They’ll be combined with survivor stories and information on services to be shared on social media during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.
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