As summer winds down, many of you are sending a child off to college. Whether it is your own child or a youth you care about, your emotions are likely mixed. Sexual assault is part of the college experience for too many youth with 23% of females and 5% of males experiencing sexual assault during their college years.

While sexual assault is NEVER the fault of the victim, talking about safety and consent is important. WEAVE’s Off to College resource includes talking points for starting conversations. You can download the complete document here. Highlights include:

Plan for Your Safety: What can you do to reduce your risk and vulnerability?

Campus Resources: What resources should be identified on the first day? Does your child know how to access them?

Making Others Earn Trust: College is a unique environment where students are forming many new friendships quickly. How much should you share when you first meet someone? How do you define trust in a new relationship?

Parties: Youth will go to parties and even if they do not drink alcohol, they should be conscious of who has access to their drink. Talk to youth about not leaving a drink unattended and knowing their limits.

Be a Good Friend: Encourage your student to look out for others. If something doesn’t look right, encourage them to intervene.