Cedar City Review, Anti-Sexual Assault Program Started

Cedar City Review
Vol. 4 , No. 17, September 11, 2008Anti-seual
Anti-Sexual Assault Program Started
in Iron County [Southern Utah]

By: Reuben Wadsworth When JoDee Ashe, educational coordinator for the Southern Utah Mobile Crisis Team, went to a Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA) training meeting in March, she came across a staggering statistic that proved the impetus to organizing a new anti-sexual assault program in Iron County.
She learned that one in four girls and one in five boys in the county experience some sort of sexual assault by the age of 12.
“I just about fell out of my chair when I heard that,” she said.
Finding out such statistics made her want to do more to increase the community’s awareness of sexual abuse, so she organized an educational program designed to teach children from kindergarten to 12th grade about sexual assault. She called the program SPEAK UP, an acronym for School Prevention and Education on the Assault of Kids United Proactively.
“We want kids to speak up for themselves,” she said. “So many people fall in that abuse cycle and we want to lessen it.”
According to the Iron County Sheriff’s Office, of the 19 sexual assaults reported in the county in 2007, 14 of them involved minors, equating to 79 percent. As of July 1, nine of the 11 sexual assaults reported in the county involved minors.
“That’s how desperately this program is needed,” Ashe said.
Many sexual abuse cases go unreported every year, she said.
Every school in the county has jumped at the chance to have Ashe and other SPEAK UP representatives, made up of volunteers from community and law enforcement agencies, come make their presentations, she said. SPEAK UP will hold assemblies and visit classrooms of county schools throughout the year in its quest to decrease sexual abuse.
Interacting with the schoolchildren on a regular basis will make them feel comfortable with SPEAK UP representatives, increasing the chances the children will report sexual abuse, Ashe said.

Founded by Ashe in March of this year as a division of the SUMCT, this month will mark the program’s first presentations in the county’s elementary schools. In October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, SPEAK UP will go to the county’s middle schools and high schools.

Ashe said the work SPEAK UP does should reduce the number of victims the SUMCT, advocates for sexual assault victims, sees.
SPEAK UP’s curriculum is state approved through Prevent Child Abuse Utah. In order for SPEAK UP representatives to teach children about sexual assault, they must also be state approved. Currently, six people are certified to present the SPEAK UP curriculum.

SPEAK UP teaches elementary school children the basics on topics such as child abuse, Internet safety, bullying, body boundaries and standing up for themselves. The program makes presentations on date rape, dating violence, cell phone safety and other dangers to older public school students, concentrating on the signs of a healthy relationship.

Overall, the program focuses on keeping kids safe.
“Kids are entitled to a happy, safe life,” Ashe said.
The program has received full support from the community.

“We have been so blessed,” Ashe said. “We have so many great agencies in Iron County.”

Many local agencies have backed the SPEAK UP effort, including the sheriff’s office, city police departments, the Utah State Division of Child and Family Services, the Children’s Justice Center, the Domestic Violence Coalition, the Iron County School District and more.

“They’ve been a wonderful support,” Ashe said of the school district.

The challenge for the program, Ashe said, is finding funding. Fortunately, it is inexpensive. Ashe estimates it costs approximately $1 per student, per month to run the program.

To aid in SPEAK UP’s fundraising effort, the program is having the first ever “Parade of Playhouses,” Friday, Sept. 12 from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event will include displays of playhouses slated for auction near the end of the event, at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday. It will also include vendor booths, entertainment, food and contests, including an edible artwork contest, a recipe contest and a cardboard box playhouse contest.

“We want it to be a family event with a lot of community involvement,” Ashe said.

For more information about the event, to volunteer at the event, to offer a playhouse for auction or to obtain a vendor booth during the event, please contact Ashe at 559-1682.

Other Articles from this issue:
Parowan Takes First Steps In Downtown Revitalization.Cedar City Celebrates
Francis Webster Day

Suh'dut Sinhg Technologies Earns Entrepreneur Award

Enoch City Council Approves Water System Parameters Resolution

Water Board Approves Resolution to Condemn Easement

Cedar City Rotary to Fund Two SUU Scholarships


Anti-Sexual Assault Program Started in Iron County

By: Reuben Wadsworth When JoDee Ashe, educational coordinator for the Southern Utah Mobile Crisis Team, went to a Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA) training meeting in March, she came across a staggering statistic that proved the impetus to organizing a new anti-sexual assault program in Iron County.
She learned that one in four girls and one in five boys in the county experience some sort of sexual assault by the age of 12.



“I just about fell out of my chair when I heard that,” she said.
Finding out such statistics made her want to do more to increase the community’s awareness of sexual abuse, so she organized an educational program designed to teach children from kindergarten to 12th grade about sexual assault. She called the program SPEAK UP, an acronym for School Prevention and Education on the Assault of Kids United Proactively.
“We want kids to speak up for themselves,” she said. “So many people fall in that abuse cycle and we want to lessen it.”
According to the Iron County Sheriff’s Office, of the 19 sexual assaults reported in the county in 2007, 14 of them involved minors, equating to 79 percent.


As of July 1, nine of the 11 sexual assaults reported in the county involved minors.
“That’s how desperately this program is needed,” Ashe said.
Many sexual abuse cases go unreported every year, she said.
Every school in the county has jumped at the chance to have Ashe and other SPEAK UP representatives, made up of volunteers from community and law enforcement agencies, come make their presentations, she said. SPEAK UP will hold assemblies and visit classrooms of county schools throughout the year in its quest to decrease sexual abuse.
Interacting with the schoolchildren on a regular basis will make them feel comfortable with SPEAK UP representatives, increasing the chances the children will report sexual abuse, Ashe said.
Founded by Ashe in March of this year as a division of the SUMCT, this month will mark the program’s first presentations in the county’s elementary schools. In October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, SPEAK UP will go to the county’s middle schools and high schools.
Ashe said the work SPEAK UP does should reduce the number of victims the SUMCT, advocates for sexual assault victims, sees.
SPEAK UP’s curriculum is state approved through Prevent Child Abuse Utah. In order for SPEAK UP representatives to teach children about sexual assault, they must also be state approved. Currently, six people are certified to present the SPEAK UP curriculum.
SPEAK UP teaches elementary school children the basics on topics such as child abuse, Internet safety, bullying, body boundaries and standing up for themselves. The program makes presentations on date rape, dating violence, cell phone safety and other dangers to older public school students, concentrating on the signs of a healthy relationship.
Overall, the program focuses on keeping kids safe.
“Kids are entitled to a happy, safe life,” Ashe said.
The program has received full support from the community.
“We have been so blessed,” Ashe said. “We have so many great agencies in Iron County.”
Many local agencies have backed the SPEAK UP effort, including the sheriff’s office, city police departments, the Utah State Division of Child and Family Services, the Children’s Justice Center, the Domestic Violence Coalition, the Iron County School District and more.
“They’ve been a wonderful support,” Ashe said of the school district.
The challenge for the program, Ashe said, is finding funding. Fortunately, it is inexpensive. Ashe estimates it costs approximately $1 per student, per month to run the program.
To aid in SPEAK UP’s fundraising effort, the program is having the first ever “Parade of Playhouses,” Friday, Sept. 12 from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event will include displays of playhouses slated for auction near the end of the event, at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday. It will also include vendor booths, entertainment, food and contests, including an edible artwork contest, a recipe contest and a cardboard box playhouse contest.
“We want it to be a family event with a lot of community involvement,” Ashe said.
For more information about the event, to volunteer at the event, to offer a playhouse for auction or to obtain a vendor booth during the event, please contact Ashe at 559-1682.