Get excited everybody! C.A.R.E is an awesome, semi-new organization (They got started up last year) that I’m going to tell you allllll about!
“C.A.R.E” is an acronym for the “Campus Alliance to Raise Empathy”, and they are a student-run organization dedicated to educating the University of Florida community and beyond about topics such as child abuse, sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence.
The C.A.R.E group meets every Wednesday from 5-6 p.m. in Peabody Hall. I went to a meetings last week, and they look like they are going to be doing a lot on campus this semester. This past week you might have walked by them tabling in Plaza of the Americas. They were promoting for an event they put on this past Thursday as part of National Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network day, also known as “RAINN Day.”
The event involved a photo exhibit involving pictures of UF Students writing on a whiteboard how Rape Culture affects them and an open discussion group.
C.A.R.E wants to raise empathy and awareness for those affected by abuse, assault, stalking, and domestic violence in the community and create a safe space for survivors. They work with the UFPD victim advocates, and are open and excited to work with other organizations such as the Women’s Student Association and Peaceful Paths. This October is Domestic Violence month, so C.A.R.E is going to be brainstorming ideas about events we could put on as a community of Florida Gators to help stop violence in partner abuse, in all kinds of relationships.
Although it’s important to mention that C.A.R.E doesn’t focus specifically on women at all, it’s engaged in stopping abuse involving all genders and sexualities, I think that many girls on campus could be interested in C.A.R.E’s message, so I decided to write about them for the “For the Ladies” post this week. Stop abuse! End domestic violence! Yes! These are things that affect girls around the world every day, and it’s important to raise awareness about them both on and off campus!
If anyone wants to get involved, come on out to a meeting or look them up on FB.
