Prevention of Sexual Assault – “Gera”
I
t was not easy for “Gera” to participate in developing an awareness campaign as sexual assault had impacted members of his immediate family. However, as he grew in his leadership role, his confidence increased and he overcame this obstacle. He helped plan the details of the campaign – a day dedicated to educating community members about sexual assault through theater performance. He said, “I want to be a film-maker and director, and want people see how this topic affects them.”
Do Something Big
G
ranados has come to know the stigma that sexual assualt survivors face in a strangely institutional way: leasing office space. She recalls trying to lease an office at Mission and State. The landlord said they could rent it but couldn’t put their name on the building directory. At the time STESA was called the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center. When Granados asked how a client might find them, the landlord told her she could put up signage as long as the center dropped the word crisis. “No,” Granados quipped. “We can’t be called the Santa Barbara Rape Center. We aren’t raping anyone.” Another landlord ended a lunch meeting with a rape joke. “It was right there in my face - the stigma that sexual assault survivors face.” More than forty years in, and Granados knows it’s time for STESA to buy office space of its own. STESA is looking to raise $2 million to build a dedicated space to combat sexual violence of all kinds.
Surviving Sexual Assault – “Becky”
“R
obert”, 30 yrs. old exploited Becky, 16 yrs old, forcing her to have sex with multiple people for money, often being physically and emotionally abusive. STESA provided Becky with counseling and support to understand the issues surrounding sexual trafficking. With STESA’s help, after several months, Becky relocated to a program which focuses on teen survivors of human trafficking. She said, “Thank you for providing me with help and support in getting out, I don’t want to live like this again.”
Standing Together Ethan Bertrand Norean Dreier Edward St. George & Associates Debra Geiger & Eliot Crowley Lisa Guravitz & Fred Shaw Cheri Gurse and Carol Keator Adrian Gutierrez Hutton Parker Foundation Alan Irwin & Harriet Eckstein Teri Jory
June Outhwaite Foundation Glen Phillips Linda and Thorn Robertson Susan Rose Santa Barbara Foundation Tomchin Family Foundation Towbes Foundation Nancy Weiss & Marc Chytilo Wood-Claeyssens Foundation Yardi Systems Inc.
Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA) www.sbstesa.org Elsa Granados, Executive Director | (805) 963-6832 x15
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