National Sexual Assault Conference 2023: Looking to the Experts: Lessons in Community-Led Prevention From New York City Nightlife

The 2023 National Sexual Assault Conference® was held in San Francisco, California, August 22-24. The conference theme, Equity in Action, called for conference participants to fearlessly pursue a world free from sexual violence and address change across systems and institutions. This session was part of the Prevention track, sponsored by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center with funding from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Learn more and access session materials here.

This workshop, led by members of the OutSmartNYC Collective, participants, interrogates how community-led efforts can enhance equity within sexual assault prevention. In sharing the OutSmartNYC core values and methodology, the facilitators will highlight strategies for working within a community, rather than for one.

While the OutSmartNYC methodology is specific to nightlife’s unique culture and the challenges to violence prevention in these spaces, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on how these methodologies may translate to the communities they represent and engage with. Workshop participants will develop an understanding of how equity can be enhanced through community engagement, curriculum development, and anti-oppressive facilitation strategies.

Speakers: Eric McGriff, Scarlett Thompson, Amy Northup