OBOM

1. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Our Bodies, Our Minds
Kennebec Valley Community College
March 13, 2019
@artwithimpact
#OurBodiesOurMinds

2. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Here’s the Plan
• Introductory conversation
• Monologues and activities
• Panel of speakers

3. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Brought to you by…
- Campus workshops
- Monthly film
competition
- Global community

4. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Where were you right before coming
to this workshop?

5. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Heads Up
• Mental health is personal – YOU are the expert on
your own experience
• Public space – no confidentiality
• It’s okay to feel, and it’s okay to be uncomfortable
• Conversations and activities might be triggering
• Please take care of yourself however you need,
including asking for help

6. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Sexual Violence Survivor
• Personal definition

7. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Sexual Violence Survivor
• Personal definition
• Identifies as having been through a potentially
traumatic sexual/intimate experience (or set of
experiences)

8. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Sexual Violence Survivor
• Personal definition
• Identifies as having been through a potentially
traumatic sexual/intimate experience (or set of
experiences)
• Against their wishes, crossed a boundary that they had
set, and/or left them feeling violated, used, scared,
unsafe or hurt

9. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Sexual Violence Survivor
• Personal definition
• Identifies as having been through a potentially
traumatic sexual/intimate experience (or set of
experiences)
• Against their wishes, crossed a boundary that they had
set, and/or left them feeling violated, used, scared,
unsafe or hurt
• Mental health and mental wellness - impacts of
traumatic event and ability to be full self

10. #OurBodiesOurMinds
What are examples of conversations
about sexual violence in the media?
• KVCC posters, really make you think
• Sports players, musicians, politicians in the news
• Halsey sings about surviving
• #MeToo movement
• Boy Erased
• YouTube animators, less graphic and easy to follow, educating
• R. Kelly, Finding Neverland
• Law and Order, SVU
• Kesha, Dr. Luke
• US women’s gymnastics

11. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Monologue 1
Jerome, 19, man

12. #OurBodiesOurMinds
In small groups…
• Read the monologue out loud
• Discuss initial reactions

13. #OurBodiesOurMinds
What are ways that sexual violence might
impact survivors?
Being so young, conditioning to feel like that’s the new
normal, living in fear, not feeling safe
Roles reversed – taking care of mom and not himself
Telling her would be a burden on her
Unknown lifelong ramifications
And community ramifications
Communicating – says “like” a lot, quiet as a kid,
trouble communicating
Fear of forming his own intimate relationships
Look at men (professors) and wonder if they’re safe
Can’t learn if we don’t feel safe
Seeking similar situations because that’s all you know

14. #OurBodiesOurMinds
How might it feel to be a survivor of
sexual violence?
Horrible
Dirty
Shame
Violated
Guilty
Lonely
Confused
Angry
Sad
Hopeless
Helpless
Empowered
Hopeful

15. #OurBodiesOurMinds
What might be helpful for survivors of
sexual violence?
Someone to listen
Positive support
Support system of people who have the same situation,
dialogue you can have with them
Decreasing stigma
Learning coping mechanisms
Knowing you’re not alone
Someone to help you though the legal process if that’s
where you want to go
Friends and individuals to recognize possible triggers,
react accordingly
Mental health first aid training
Understanding it’s not your fault

16. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Activity

17. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Monologues 2 and 3
Hannah, 23, woman
Andy, 23, man

18. #OurBodiesOurMinds
In small groups…
• Read the monologue out loud
• Discuss initial reactions

19. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Large Group Discussion
• To Leigh – education and awareness about consent
• It’s better to listen than to say something that could shut them down
• Be more understanding
• To Hannah – feel validated, wish her BFF was the first person she told
• To Andy – ask how to help, don’t leave, can give space without leaving
• Andy is inexperienced, he doesn’t know
• Everybody’s different
• Listening is valuable – what do they feel, what is their experience
• Mae asking “what do you need” was powerful
In a perfect world, what would you say to this character?

20. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Large Group Discussion
• Leigh’s experience
• Mae’s experience
What are you wondering about the other people in this character’s life?

21. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Scene Exploration

22. #OurBodiesOurMinds
What Can We Do?

23. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Panel

24. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Meet the Panel
• Kellie Wiswell - KVCC Student
• Melissa Clement - KVCC Counseling and
Disability Services Coordinator
• Susan Beaulieu - Outreach Coordinator,
Sexual Assault Crisis & Support Center

25. #OurBodiesOurMinds
Stay in touch!
Don’t forget to leave your name and email
on the sign-up sheet!
@artwithimpact
maya@artwithimpact.org