Our Story
I was 15 when I was sexually assaulted. It was someone I knew. It was someone I trusted. It was someone who convinced me that it was my fault. And after I came forward, I felt remarkably alone. What I wanted, more than anything, was someone to talk to. Someone who understood what it was like to be 15. Someone who knew how scary it was to speak out. Someone like me.
It was hard to find that someone. I didn’t even know where to look. All I knew was that they were out there and may have been looking for me, too. Finding that someone wasn’t a matter of if, only how.
Thus, Sexual Assault Youth Support Network (SAYSN) was born. By survivors, for survivors, SAYSN was established in 2017 to support, empower, and connect youth sexual assault survivors and those that support them.
As a movement, organization, and community, SAYSN is where you can find someone like you.
Who We Are
SAYSN, first and foremost, is a community of survivors, supporters, and advocates that are dedicated to building a world without sexual violence where justice is restorative and healing is possible.
Since our founding in 2017, we have worked to curate a team of volunteers, staff, and board members that are intimately aware of the dynamics of sexual victimization, advocacy, and the criminal legal system, and know what must be done to transform them.
Supporting, empowering, and connecting survivors is not a solo endeavor. It’s something we do, together.
What We Do
Before SAYSN was an organization, it was a project. In August 2017, we hosted our first-ever “I Am” Series event, where we photographed survivors and supporters holding signs that show that victimization doesn’t define them and that support is out there. The “I Am” Series not only gives survivors the chance to feel supported, but to also feel empowered and connected to one another through participating.
We’ve always been passionate about using the internet and social media as a tool for advocacy—one that makes information and communities accessible to youth, on their own terms. Because of that, many of our programs and projects are web-based.
The core of our organization, and of our programs, is supporting, empowering, and connecting young survivors. As we grow, we hope to increase the diversity of our impact in these areas. Click the button below to see what we’re working on.