STESA Provides Support to Caregivers Preparing to Send Students to College
As summer winds down, many students are preparing to go to college. STESA congratulates all students for their success and families for their support. This may be the first time that caregivers and students are apart. This separation can induce concerns by caregivers about engaging young adults in conversations related to health and wellness, including topics such as sex, consent, and campus sexual assault.
Sexual assault on campus is pervasive. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), 13% of all college students experience rape or sexual assault. Among undergraduates, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males experience rape or sexual assault. Campus sexual assaults are underreported, in part due to unsupportive institutional responses (as evidenced in the 2015 documentary, “The Hunting Ground”), leading 88% of women survivors to refrain from reporting their assault. From 2015-2020, STESA supported 26 college-aged survivors in reporting a sexual assault.
STESA recognizes the prevalence with which sexual assaults take place on college campuses. In response to this, the agency offers a variety of support services for survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones. STESA’s 24-hour hotline is available for caregivers to receive tips on engaging their young adults in conversations about the realities of campus sexual assault. STESA counselors can provide risk reduction strategies, and other helpful information.
STESA also offers self-defense classes. Classes are available for a group of friends, moms and daughters, community groups, sports teams, etc.
Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA) provides confidential counseling and support services to survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones. Through education and awareness, STESA is committed to change the cultural norms that enable sexual assault to exist. STESA’s service area extends from Carpinteria to the Santa Ynez Valley.
Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA)
Donate now!
www.sbstesa.org
Phone: (805) 963-6832 ext 15
Executive Director: Elsa Granados
Mission
Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA) – Formerly the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, empowers people through healing and social change to eliminate all forms of sexual violence. We are committed to transforming lives by providing services and education to meet the needs of our diverse community.
Begin to Build a Relationship
We know you care about where your money goes and how it is used. Connect with this organization’s leadership in order to begin to build this important relationship. Your email will be sent directly to this organization’s Director of Development and/or Executive Director.
As a sexual assault survivor, I know first-hand the importance of STESA’s work. I remember how alone I felt following my assault, and it’s something I’d never wish for another survivor to experience. STESA plays an essential role in providing expert crisis and long-term supportive services to survivors in our community. STESA staff members are compassionate and dedicated to healing and empowering survivors, preventing sexual violence, and creating social change through education. By giving my time and financial support to STESA, I know that I am supporting other survivors and transforming lives.
Empower Survivors Through Healing and Social Change
The nightly news is filled with appalling damage caused by sexual assault to the individuals it touches and to our community’s well-being. Through the #MeToo movement, we have made important strides in support of survivors of sexual assault. Through this work, we hope that all perpetrators of sexual violence are held accountable for their crimes and that survivors receive the support and justice they deserve.
For this purpose, please consider making a gift. Your donation ensures that the women and men who have experienced the trauma of sexual assault have a place where they can receive the counseling, advocacy, and other support services that are crucial to the healing process.
Your contribution assists us in supporting our community-wide education programs that create awareness and intolerance for sexual violence. With these educational programs, we can create significant social change, which will lead to the elimination of this brutal crime.
Key Supporters
Ethan Bertrand
Margaret Connell
Harriet Eckstein & Alan Irwin
Fund for Santa Barbara
Debra P. Geiger & Eliot Crowley
Devon Geiger Nielsen
Ed Graper
Cheri Gurse & Carol Keator
The Manger Scout Fund
Montecito Bank & Trust
New Day Marketing
Stacey Risotti
Linda Sanders & One On One Fitness
Santa Barbara Foundation
Kate Silsbury
Tomchin Family Foundation
The Towbes Foundation
Nancy Weiss & Marc Chytilo
Wood-Claeyssens Foundation
Yardi Systems Inc.