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McQuaid Jesuit, a Catholic, Jesuit school for boys in Rochester, NY engaged I Have The Right To to interact with students, parents, and educators. Our team spent three days on campus working with school leadership, making a presentation to more than 500 high school students, facilitating a separate talk with parents, and visiting with senior boys in their classrooms.
The presentations to students and parents highlighted statistics on the prevalence of sexual assault, explained the definition of sexual assault, provided clarification on term consent as a minimum requirement as a characteristic of healthy relationships. McQuaid is the first all-boys’ school to bring in our organization to raise awareness and engage with students. The boys were attentive and engaged during the presentation, and thoughtful as they posed questions in the classrooms. Their key takeaway was how prevalent sexual assault is – that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will experience some form of sexual abuse before college.
“Thank you for the work you do and for bringing your information and messages to the students and parents at McQuaid. I took away many new perspectives on how to best continue conversations with both of my sons (18 and 15). Thank you!”
– McQuaid Mother
The presentations to students and parents featured a Survivor Story from I Have The Right To Board Member and McQuaid alumnus, Steve Peacock. A victim of childhood sexual abuse, Steve, who is the first adult male survivor to represent I Have The Right To, told no one for nearly a decade, and for the next three decades, only a handful of people. Steve, at age 52, is now sharing his story. Earlier this month, he addressed more than 400 colleagues at Edelman Financial Engines on World Mental Health Day.
Steve finding his voice at the age of 52 is not an anomaly: in fact he represents a sobering trend. The average age of disclosure of a sexual assault is 52. Steve shared his personal account of the effects of childhood sexual abuse, the power of using one’s voice, and the positive impact that respect and support have on survivors and school communities. Below is an excerpt of his inspirational talk:
“I share this with you now for three reasons. One, to let anyone else suffering in silence know that you are not alone, it was not your fault and you didn’t do anything wrong. Two, by celebrating, rather than hiding our mental health journey, we can destigmatize one of the most important tools available to help with our recovery and healing. And three, that by every single one of us working together in all of our spaces – work, school, community – we can forge a path to healthier lives.”
Steve talked about “seeming fine on the surface” – that anyone looking at him in high school, college, or his career would see a successful person. He emphasized that no one can fully understand the depths of another person and their experiences, and that we must create the conditions for all humans to receive respect and support in all group environments. The respect and support that Steve received that day was evident by the family members at his side, classmates who attended the presentations in solidarity, and the rousing standing ovation from the students.
“I thought the assembly was informative, profound, and touching. The alum’s story was so impactful and gives us a lot to think about.”
– McQuaid Student
I Have The Right To is grateful to McQuaid Jesuit for inviting our team into its special community and giving us the opportunity to partner with school leadership in their endeavor to Create Great Men. We left Rochester confident that I Have The Right To will continue to meaningfully engage other all-boy’s schools.