We are part of a national student group called Academics Against Assault (AAA) and we are the Exeter branch. I am Head of Campaign here at Exeter, which means I take the lead on the running and promotion of the campaign, but I wouldn't be able to do it without my incredible team.

The campaign started at Royal Holloway in 2022 with Molly Hanning, a survivor of rape. Through sharing her experiences of navigating support services and calling out rape culture around campuses, she has expanded her campaign across multiple campuses in the UK.

AAA is committed to the expansion of consent education and increased support for survivors across universities. At Exeter, our main aim is to reform the current consent training by running student-based focus groups to collect their feedback. We want to create a safe space for survivors here on campus so they know they are not alone, whatever form this may be in. We are also running fundraising events to help fund the campaign, as well as being active on social media to help spread awareness and educate people on consent and healthy relationships.

It's really difficult to decide as we're very much in the stage of spreading awareness and getting the word out there that we exist. We ran a bake sale that raised £135 which was really exciting, but I think I'm most proud of our safety packs we gave out to students during Welcome Week which contained all the necessary information on the support services that exist both at the University, but also in the city more generally. Our IG post, Staying Safe in Exeter', has reached 10.4K views and was shared by many societies, which is absolutely incredible for a campaign that is still getting off the ground.

Unfortunately sexual violence is an all too common experience, and its that universities stepped up and did something about it. There were 185 instances of sexual assault and rape recorded in 2023 in the postcode EX4 [Exposé - 2024]. An estimated 20,000 rapes and sexual assaults go unreported in Devon and Torbay each year [Devon Rape Crisis].

By bringing AAA to Exeter, we hope not only help and support survivors, but tackle the stigma around sexual violence and prevent such instances from happening in the first place. By reforming consent education and promoting active bystander training, we're hoping this will encourage a safer environment on campus and people will be empowered in the knowledge of what is and is not ok.

We've not had the smoothest sailing relationship, but we are actively working together especially with the legal issues surrounding our CIC status.

The Guild was very supportive, including helping to fund our printing costs and booking stalls in the Forum. They have also been able to put us in touch with the necessary people within the University, such as the Wellbeing Team, to ensure that we are as supported and informed as we can be. Definitely a special shout-out to Lucie from the Voice Team and Kira, the Student Living Officer - we couldn't have achieved half of what we have without them!