Using the power of film and education, students taking the course HSS 213"Working with Groups and Communities" are organizing a film series with Crossroads that tackles the issues of sexual assault, trauma and human trafficking.
Crossroads is a sexual assault response and resource center and child advocacy center that was established 40 years ago. With offices only minutes away from campus, Crossroads provides a 24/7 crisis hotline as well as trained advocates for victims of sexual assault.
“That’s where we provide really valuable services,” said Julie Budd, volunteer and outreach coordinator for the center. “Providing that emotional support and advocacy where you’re not looking a clock, like an attorney that charges per hour, or a psychologist where you only have 50 minutes."
The service learning course is taught by Carmen Monico, assistant professor of human service studies, and five students from the class chose to work with Crossroads and are helping promote the films to the Elon community and Burlington.
“One of the main goals of Crossroads is community outreach and education,” said junior Anne Segal.“These films are a really good way to get people talking about it — because it’s a hard topic to sit down and just talk about it.”
Crossroads bought the rights to the films with money from the Elon University’s Kernodle Center Community Partnership Grant.
The first film, "The Hunting Ground," was presented Sept. 28 at the May Memorial Library in downtown Burlington. Though severe rain kept some guests from showing up, the film evoked important dialogue about sexual assault on college campuses, such as the statistic that one in four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.
“So many people have come to me with their stories," Budd said. "Now I’ve got people behind that one in four and I can believe it. But, that one in four randomly is hard to believe.”Budd said the reason the issue is so hard to combat is because the community on a college campus is always shifting.
“We are always having to train and get people involved,” Budd said. “Which is why it’s so hard to make strides against sexual assault on college campuses because once people start to really understand the issues and start to make some proactive changes, then they’re graduating.”
The next film "Paper Tigers," deals with Crossroads' other focus: child advocacy, will be shown on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Steam Junction in downtown Burlington.
The film explains trauma in childhood and the effect it can have on a developing brain. It looks at one high school’s approach to discipline based on these ideas.
In early November, there will be a screening of the film "Audrie and Daisy" at The Elon Center, which tackles the issues of teenage sexual assault and the role social media now plays in the severity of the issue.
For all the films, Crossroads is interested in marketing more toward the community at large rather than their clients.
“We have one small poster up at the door but inside our office we aren’t promoting the movie series,” Budd said. “If we have someone that is here getting services for themselves or their child, this space is all about comfort. We do have to respect where people are as far as their healing.”
But it is the students involved responsibility to preface the movie and prepare the audience for what they’re about to view. They also prepare discussion questions for the end of the viewing.
During "The Hunting Ground" screening, there were two of Crossroads’ advocates in attendance in case anyone needed extra support.
The final film, "In Plain Sight," which discusses the issues surrounding human trafficking, will premiere Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Danieley Center
In addition to the discussions, each showing is an opportunity for community members and survivors to add to the Monument Quilt — a national project that will result in the first national fabric display recognizing victims of sexual assault in Washington D.C.
The exact date for the unveiling of the monument in D.C. is unknown, but Crossroads already has many of their own quilts to add to the national exhibition, which will spell out “YOU ARE NOT ALONE.”
The quilts create a comfortable way for people to share their stories. Budd remembers an Elon student who once wrote, “Don’t be afraid to tell, like I was. Elon supports.”
Budd hopes the film series will help to educate the Burlington community about these important issues and show people the work Crossroads is doing everyday.
“People who see the flyer are getting a different perspective that Crossroads is active and that there is a lot of hard issues and that there is a lot going on," Budd said. “We are trying to respond to victims as well as trying to change our culture.”