Spring Break
Chocolate Festival's aim: To help survivors of abuse
COURTNEY SMITH
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: Variety
Fulfilling, comforting solace after a rough day and sometimes even rich.
Chocolate is the confectionery love of many people, and one University office is using its legacy of enjoyment to demonstrate what a healthy relationship is and chocolate's comforting power to help mend survivors of sexual abuse.
Where: Memorial Hall Ballroom
Cost: $3 students, $5 non-students
"For the most part, the Chocolate Festival is a fundraiser to raise awareness about the issues that my office focuses on, like relationship violence, stalking, sexual assault and drug use to facilitate sexual violence," said Larry Gourdine, head of the Office for Violence Prevention.
"Chocolate is a fun and unique way to bring attention to these issues, so there will be lots of chocolate there, but more importantly, there will be resources for students who may need help."
Gourdine feels that many students don't even know that his office, a small room in Memorial Hall in which he is the only worker, exists.
He hopes the Chocolate Festival will let students know that support, counseling or even just a shoulder to cry on is available.
"I want people to know that there is a safe place where they can talk about what happened and there won't be any victim blaming or judgement where they can be supported and helped along the way to recovery," he said.
However, according to Gourdine, today's festival is also important for people who have never been abused or assaulted because it will help them understand how victims of these types of crimes feel.
It also will allow them to become more understanding and able to help their friends or family find help.
He plans to facilitate this understanding through a character card game in which participants are "put in survivors' shoes" and are expected to make decisions based on different situations, such as molestation or assault.
They then can see some common responses from family, friends, even police that survivors who made that decision would be presented with.
Chocolate is the confectionery love of many people, and one University office is using its legacy of enjoyment to demonstrate what a healthy relationship is and chocolate's comforting power to help mend survivors of sexual abuse.
CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL
When: 1 to 4 todayWhere: Memorial Hall Ballroom
Cost: $3 students, $5 non-students
"For the most part, the Chocolate Festival is a fundraiser to raise awareness about the issues that my office focuses on, like relationship violence, stalking, sexual assault and drug use to facilitate sexual violence," said Larry Gourdine, head of the Office for Violence Prevention.
"Chocolate is a fun and unique way to bring attention to these issues, so there will be lots of chocolate there, but more importantly, there will be resources for students who may need help."
Gourdine feels that many students don't even know that his office, a small room in Memorial Hall in which he is the only worker, exists.
He hopes the Chocolate Festival will let students know that support, counseling or even just a shoulder to cry on is available.
"I want people to know that there is a safe place where they can talk about what happened and there won't be any victim blaming or judgement where they can be supported and helped along the way to recovery," he said.
However, according to Gourdine, today's festival is also important for people who have never been abused or assaulted because it will help them understand how victims of these types of crimes feel.
It also will allow them to become more understanding and able to help their friends or family find help.
He plans to facilitate this understanding through a character card game in which participants are "put in survivors' shoes" and are expected to make decisions based on different situations, such as molestation or assault.
They then can see some common responses from family, friends, even police that survivors who made that decision would be presented with.
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