Share

About the Project

Mission

Sexual violence, as well as the norms and behaviors that perpetuate it, impact everyone's ability to thrive intellectually, socially, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Dartmouth seeks to foster a community in which all members have the support of their peers and the institution to challenge the norms that allow power-based violence to persist. All members of the Dartmouth community should expect safety and accountability.

To put our mission into action, we identified four behavioral outcomes that will indicate that we are fulfilling our mission to shift the culture and significantly reduce, if not eliminate, sexual violence in our community.

Outcomes

The Sexual Violence Prevention Project (SVPP) is a four-year sexual violence prevention curriculum required for all undergraduate students, that is comprehensive, developmental, and asset-based. The curriculum is centered around four outcomes intended to reduce harmful student behavior and change Dartmouth's culture by increasing positive student behavior and helping students cultivate and strengthen life-long skills to:

  1. Develop Positive Relationships & Sexual behavior
     
  2. Use their Power in positive ways to foster Equity & Belonging
     
  3. Check-in & step-in through Bystander Intervention across the spectrum of harm
     
  4. Utilize Resources, if needed, & Support those who have been impacted by sexual violence (e.g. sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, and harassment)
     

4_outcomes_swc.png

Changing behaviors changes culture. Four circles labeled develop positive relationships and sexual behavior, using yout power to foster equity and belonging, checking-in and stepping-in thru bystander intervention, and using resources and supporting other

To provide a comprehensive and effective prevention strategy, all undergraduate students will engage with multiple SVPP components each year, which align with the four outcomes, and build upon the knowledge and skills acquired in previous years. 

Development, Implementation, & Progress

Our team employs a public health approach to sexual violence prevention, that is grounded in research and theory across multiple disciplines, and uses human-centered design in both the development and implementation of the SVPP through valued partnerships with our students.

A project of this magnitude is unprecedented in the country, and will take several years to:

  • Research, develop, pilot, refine, implement, and evaluate developmental curriculum for each year of the SVPP Student Experience
  • Identify, implement, and refine a web-based system for students to register and track their progress
  • Build and implement a student-centered infrastructure for accountability
  • Build an infrastructure for maintenance and sustainability
  • Fully implement and integrate the SVPP into student and academic life
  • Evaluate the overall efficacy of the project
  • Reach our intended behavioral outcomes and reduce sexual violence

To learn more about our development, implementation, and progress, visit Progress and Updates.