Penn Anti-Violence Educators (PAVE)
PAVE is a peer education student group that is focused on how to be an active bystander. PAVE members are committed students who are trained to facilitate workshops and trainings to their peers about the important role bystanders can play in ending sexual and relationship violence on campus.
PAVE stands for Penn Anti-Violence Educators. PAVE members are committed students who are trained to facilitate workshops to their peers about the important role bystanders can play in ending sexual and relationship violence on campus. PAVE students work in teams to facilitate these workshops to a diverse range of groups and communities across campus.
PAVE co-facilitates interactive 90 minute workshops for Penn student groups focused on how to be an active bystander against sexual and relationship violence. In the fall of 2016 (it’s inaugural semester) PAVE facilitated 13 presentations reaching 360 students. The groups that were presented to include the South Asian Society, Penn Democrats, multiple Greek chapters, and college house staff. As a result of the workshop that is facilitated by PAVE, we hope student participants will be able to:
- Understand the role bystanders can play in preventing interpersonal violence.
- Recognize harmful behaviors that perpetuate a culture of violence.
- Utilize skills to intervene before or during harmful situations.
- Identify obstacles to being an active bystander.
PAVE students will be expected to facilitate 2-3 programs a month and to attend weekly meetings with the group (in addition to the initial training). Trainings will continue throughout the academic year so a one year commitment is required. Those that are selected will be expected to return to campus for a retreat that will take place before the Fall semester begins.
PAVE students are compensated $15/hour for workshops and trainings. Time spent setting up and
breaking down presentations is also compensated. They are not paid for time spent at the retreat or
weekly meetings. You do not need to be work study eligible to participate.
The Program Coordinator of Sexual Violence Prevention and Education manages the PAVE program, with additional
oversight from the Associate Directors of Penn Violence Prevention.
The Consent Collaborative is an umbrella group for four anti-violence groups on campus: PAVE, MARS, ASAP, and V-Day. Consent Collab works to create a united voice for addressing interpersonal violence and to offer a safe space for mutual support amongst students of all identities and backgrounds. By working together, the Collaborative hopes to ensure that the voice of students, and especially survivors, is heard by other leaders and administrators at Penn. The Collaborative serves as an acknowledgment of collective responsibility and care for prevention of all forms of interpersonal violence within the Penn community.
Penn Women's Center Affiliated Groups
The Penn Women’s Center advises a number of student groups focused on raising awareness about sexual and relationship violence.
A group of undergraduate and graduate students dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence on campus. ASAP hosts discussions on topics ranging from feminist and political theory to the media and US culture, as well as documentary screenings, speakers and other events. In the spring, ASAP plans and sponsors Take Back The Night, a campus-wide protest of sexual violence and a survivor vigil.
Penn V-Day is one of the largest and most successful social justice movements on campus. Beginning in 2019, Penn V-Day is no longer putting on a production of the Vagina Monologues and is instead building a brand new set of monologues, written and performed by the Penn community called Penn Monologues. The show asks for students’ complexities, aspirations, and revelations to truly embody their mission of uplifting marginalized voices in this movement.