Event coincides with campus-wide awareness set for April 26.
By Patricia Franklin
Staff Writer
April is sexual assault awareness month, and in honor of this, Title IX officer Elizabeth Schrock and the Students Health & Psychology department hosted the interACT performance, April 17. The interACT troupe is a group of California State University, Long Beach students and alumni that provide sexual assault training.
Founded by Dr. Marc Rich and led by Kelly Janke the managing director, interACT is a sexual assault prevention program that helps audience members recognize warning signs of abusive relationships, learn how to effectively intervene in preventing assault and have a better understanding of how individuals may feel after rape, according to the Culture of Respect website.
InterACT performances begin with a presentation of different scenarios. The scenarios can range from sexual assault to homophobia and bullying. Janke lays the foundation for the audience to understand what is going on in the scenario and has the troupe members freeze in character so the audience can interact.
“With this presentation, we have audience members gain empathy for survivors,” said Janke. “[We] want to dispel rape myths, when men hear about sexual assault they turn away. [We want] to reduce men feeling like they don’t have a voice.”
Janke’s strategy is to have both male and female participants from the audience engage with the characters. There was a moment in the show where several audience participants were asked to come on stage and yell out different “voices” that a sexual assault survivor may hear or have going through their own mind.
Troupe members played a huge role in bringing sexual assault scenarios to life. The scenes were raw, electrifying and set a tone in the room that had some audience members uncomfortable. Michael Batshoun a troupe member who has been involved with interACT for three years feels that these performances bring awareness and sheds light for men.
“I believe that every man in interACT has been any three characters,” said Batshoun. “I feel it (interACT) equips you with tools to flourish, with your friends or sisters. You never stop learning whether it’s from statistics or the audience, I continue to learn every day.”
This event also coincides with the upcoming event “Take Back the Night” hosted by the Women’s Resource Center. The event is on Thursday, April 26 and will start at 6:30 p.m. in the sculpture garden and end at 8 p.m. in Palm Courtyard There will be survivors speaking out, a campus march against sexual violence and a craftivism & resource fair.
“It’s important to raise awareness on how frequent sex assaults occur,” said Elizabeth Schrock. “It’s important to have this kind of event where it teaches people educational and spiritual components (of) people that experience sexual assault.”