Dare to Care Peer Educators are a passionate group of student leaders who help promote the health and well-being of the Knox College campus community through education and engagement. In collaboration with the Title IX Coordinator, D2C Peer Educators develop programs and implement outreach efforts that encourage students to examine important issues surrounding sexual health, intimate relationships, sexual responsibility, gender and sexuality, the development of healthy relationships, active bystander intervention, and factors surrounding, influences on, and the prevention of sexual assault. They also conduct the Consent and Communication workshops required as part of the annual New Student Orientation.
This position is a 1-year commitment and the 2021-22 team has 10 paid educators whose focus is primary prevention (i.e., promotion of healthy behaviors and attitudes) by increasing community awareness of and individual responsibility to sensitive interpersonal issues. Peer educators receive specialized and ongoing training to educate the campus community on issues of sexual assault and misconduct, consent, and other forms of interpersonal violence. As a peer education group, members do not engage in peer counseling and are not involved in any legal proceedings under federal Title IX regulations.
Mission Statement
The Dare to Care Peer Educators organize and implement various programming and outreach efforts in order to educate Knox College students on issues surrounding sexual assault and misconduct, as well as provide the tools to help students play a role in primary prevention methods needed to create a culture of respect on campus.
Values
- Education. Misinformation can cause a lot of damage, and it is important to correct misinformation when we hear it; we know that education is a crucial component, and often the first step, of prevention.
- Willingness to Learn. As Peer Educators, our primary goal is to inform those around us about issues that we are passionate about; hearing new perspectives is an opportunity for growth, and for growth, we need to be willing to listen and learn.
- Bravery. A lot of the topics we discuss can be difficult to hear or talk about; we recognize that, oftentimes, “safe spaces” are not possible, so we instead focus on creating brave spaces that encourage vulnerability, honesty, and empathy.
- Responsibility. We are all part of the Knox community, and we ask everyone to join us in helping to prevent and stop sexual assault and misconduct. For that, we must all accept the responsibility we have to play a role in prevention.
- Respect. Our vision is to create a culture of respect on campus, including one that is centered on consent.
Explore
Meet the current Dare to Care Peer Educators, see our event schedules per term, or learn more about past and current programming below.
- Talk About It Tuesday
Talk About it Tuesday is a weekly program hosted by the Dare to Care Peer Educators. The goal of this programming is to provide information about various topics surrounding sexual assault and misconduct and encourage Knox students to talk about it!
- Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month 2022
April is recognized nationally as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. The goal of SAAPM is to raise awareness about sexual violence and educate communities on how to prevent it.
- Consent and Communication Workshops
The Consent and Communication Workshops, led by the Dare to Care Peer Educators, are in place to provide incoming students with a better understanding of consent, sexual assault and misconduct, Knox’s response against this type of harassment, Title IX, and being an active bystander.
- Dare to Care on Air
Dare to Care on Air is a new podcast programming initiative created by the Dare to Care Peer Educators intended to encourage normalizing having conversations about topics such as flirting, sex education, and healthy relationships.
- Pair to Care
Pair to Care is an outreach initiative meant to facilitate relationships between the Dare to Care Peer Educators and other Knox College student organizations so that we can all learn from one another.
- Sex Ed Science Fair
The Sex Ed Science Fair is an annual fall term event hosted by the Dare to Care Peer Educators with the goal of making sex education more fun and interactive.
- Sex (T)ed Talks
The Sex (T)ed Talks are an annual winter term event organized and hosted by the Dare to Care Peer Educators with the goal of promoting accurate, inclusive, and sex-positive sexual education.
- Self-Care Sundays
The Dare to Care Peer Educators have begun Self-Care Sundays, a social media programming initiative intended to give students ideas or inspiration for how to make some time for themselves, as well as share the self-care utilized by the Peer Educators themselves and other fun faces around campus.
- Workshop Wednesdays
Workshop Wednesdays are regularly scheduled outreach events hosted by the Dare to Care Peer Educators on the first Wednesday of every month during the academic year.
- Fresh Check Day
Fresh Check Day is a nationwide event focused on the importance of checking in with your own mental health and wellness.
