Campaign to Stem
Societal Violence

Sample Initiatives

1. Enough is Enough Campus Rally/March/Vigil

Gather students around campus (a good starting point may be the residence halls) and have them march through the academic wing of campus (gathering faculty and staff), through the community (collecting local business owners and other members), and end at a central location on campus. This could be the kickoff to the week and the precursor to the keynote speaker.

2. Enough is Enough Day

Black and white are the colors of the Enough is Enough campaign, tying together mourning and remembrance with peace, innocence, and solidarity with victims of violence. Throughout the week's events, hand out black and white ribbons for students, staff, and members of the community to show their support. For the greatest show of solidarity with other participating campuses across the country, put a particular emphasis on wearing the ribbons on the first Wednesday of Enough is Enough Week.

3. Keynote Speaker

Seek out a speaker to give a presentation on how violence has no place on your campus, and/or how to unite the campus in peace and harmony (see Potential Speakers/ Presentations). Be sure to include time for discussion afterward. Depending on the speaker, format, and time available, you may want to allow not only for Q&A, but also for facilitated small group discussions to generate action steps.

4. Take the Pledge Day

After the speaker, encourage those in attendance to take a public stance against violence by signing a pledge. This could be a time of celebration, with free t-shirts, coffee, cookies, or any other items that can be purchased or obtained through the support of the community (see Appendix B -- Sample Pledge).

5. These Hands Don't Hurt

This is the national philanthropy of Alpha Kappa Lambda. Colleges with this fraternity could encourage the group to host this event itself, or a similar event could be adapted from this initiative. In essence, handprints are cut out of colored paper and people sign their names on the hands and pledge that their hands will never be used to commit interpersonal acts of violence. Another way this initiative is implemented is through students placing their hand in colored paint and leaving their print on a white banner. This symbolizes both the diversity and unity of the campus, and serves as a visual representation of how many people have pledged to resolve matters in a non-violent way.

6. Enough is Enough Dialogue on Violence

Encourage students to think about the ramifications that violence in the media has on society and on how we can combat these messages of pro-violence. Universities could enlist the assistance of their debate team or their campus radio station. A weekly segment could be included to address issues of violence, campus security, or ways to make campus a better and more peaceful place to live. Topics might include "concealed carry" on campus; the "assassin" game; role of violence in video games; cyber bullying; "copy cat" violent crimes; free speech and privacy issues as they relate to campus safety efforts; and "disturbed" vs. "disturbing" students and "when to tell."

7. Host a Coffee Night/Poetry House/Open Mic Night

This gives students the ability to speak out against violence in their own way. This could take the form of poetry, original music, or something as simple as making an anti-violence statement.

8. Role Model

Encourage highly visible student leaders to write a short piece for the campus newspaper about their interests in making the university a safer place in which to live and learn. In providing examples of positive behavior, it is hoped that these positive interactions will become the social norm.

9. Random Acts of Kindness (Postcard Campaign)

This initiative builds a sense of community and unity on campus, allowing students, faculty, staff, and the greater community to witness the many positive acts that are performed. A potential twist on this event is for people to write postcards for positive acts of kindness that were done for them.

10. T-shirt Campaign

To further highlight and promote the efforts of the Enough is Enough Week, begin a t-shirt campaign that unifies the campus in sharing an accepting and positive frame of mind. Design a t-shirt that conveys the EiE principles of peace and inclusiveness, and distribute among the campus community. This t-shirt campaign could be accompanied by the pledge campaign, with students receiving a t-shirt after signing the pledge. Declare a day in which students wear their shirt in support of the community principles. A visual representation of a healthy campus climate, the wearing of these t-shirts demonstrates campus unity and the community moving together in a positive direction.

11. Enough is Enough Wall

Designate a wall where people can post their first-hand accounts as victims of violence. This provides a level of privacy for those who may not feel comfortable publicly announcing their encounter(s), but allows students, staff, and faculty to be aware of the hurt and pain that is present in the university community. This program could be hosted concurrently with the Random Acts of Kindness initiative, to demonstrate the many positive encounters on the university campus and hopefully to inspire more random acts of kindness within the college community.

11A. Poster Campaign/Gallery Showing

Provide students with poster board to create visual displays with an anti-violence message. Students could also be encouraged to go beyond poster board to create their own anti-violence message using the media of their choice. These expressions could, of course, be pre-screened for appropriate content and materials. An alternative idea is to ask students to create posters/visual media that represent campus unity. Arrange for pieces to be displayed in a union, student center, or art gallery.

12. Day of Silence for Victims of Violence

A similar initiative is carried out in the LGBT world and in the efforts of the Gay/Straight Alliance. Participants can wear a designated armband, pin, t-shirt, or any other signifying emblem to show their involvement with the initiative and to show their support for the cause. Participants in the Day of Silence would not be allowed to speak all day, symbolizing and honoring those who have been mortally silenced, or those who have been victims of interpersonal violence and have kept their experience(s) silent and to themselves.

13. Greeks Against Violence

It is an unfortunate reality that nearly every Greek chapter has at least one member who has fallen victim to a violent act (domestic violence, sexual assault). Have the Presidents and Philanthropy Chairmen of sororities and fraternities unite themselves and their philanthropic endeavors to hold a canned food drive, start a collection of stuffed animals for abused children, or have the Greek Life organizations sponsor a speaker on domestic or interpersonal violence.

14. Enough is Enough: Not On Our Campus

Students might create a documentary about their school and how hate/violence has no place on their campus. This could be a great Housing/Residence Life initiative, or possibly a way in which to get a Fine Arts program or student group involved. This could also take the form of a poster campaign, with students creating visually appealing images and thoughtful messages that could be displayed around campus or on a website, in an effort to stop the hate and create a more positive atmosphere.

15. Wellness Checks

All members of the university community are stressed out from time to time, especially around mid-terms and finals weeks. Host a 'wellness check' day to screen persons for high levels of stress, and provide health tips to ease the mind and body of the toxicity of stress. This event could be turned into a kind of fair focusing on total body wellness, with free massages, 15-minute yoga sessions, local organic vendors with samples of smoothies and other healthy food items. Recreation Services and the Counseling Center could both be involved, to talk with students about the current stressors in their life and different coping mechanisms.

16. Get Active, Not Physical

In an effort to concentrate physical energies on more positive outlets, the campus Recreation Center could sponsor an open house night, showcasing its services and amenities, and providing free opportunities for students, staff, faculty, and community members to get their bodies moving and active. Yoga, organized basketball or volleyball tournaments, and free tennis lessons are some examples of how to get the community to use their bodies in a positive way.

17. Campus Cares Days

Another way to get the campus active and involved in a positive way is to host a day-long volunteer and service event, in which members of the campus give back to the community through cleaning up the town, painting elderly residents' homes, volunteering at the local humane society, or organizing the shelves of a local food bank. Various project sites in the community would be pre-identified, and groups of volunteers would be assigned to task sites. For an even greater anti-violence effect, these project sites could be specifically chosen with an anti-violence theme in mind: sprucing up a battered women's shelter, helping with needed renovations, or creating an anti-violence mural to display in the community.

18. Charity Collection

Books, clothing, blankets, bedding, and stuffed animals are all welcomed items for battered women's shelters or other crisis intervention centers. These items can easily be collected by student groups and donated to a local charity.

19. Host an "EarPeace" or "CommUnity" Concert 

Bringing people together around positive and upbeat music is sure to foster a sense of peace and unity on campus. This event could take many forms, including big-name acts, student bands, or aspiring singer-songwriters within the campus community. This could be a large-scale concert type of event, or something as simple as a coffee-house setting featuring an evening of soulful music.

20. Plan for the Long-Term: Establish an Enough is Enough Student Advisory Committee 

Students are often the most aware of what is going on, especially on campus. In seeking out representation from the police department, the division of student affairs, faculty, staff, the Greek community, and campus residents, university officials can have a clearer picture of what is really happening on campus, and perhaps learn enough to prevent acts of violence from occurring. This committee has implications for generating several initiatives in the interest of faculty, staff, and student safety. Ensuring campus safety and building community is an ongoing endeavor. Have this group continue to work with community partners to plan events throughout the year. Possible things to consider include the following: 

• April is National Give Life Month (promoting organ donation)
• Global Youth Service Days are the last weekend of April
  
• September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month