Past Grants

The Wayne County SAFE Program/Avalon Institute is seeking support to develop and implement a sexual abuse prevention training program to address sexual abuse in student athletes for athletic organizations and schools. The incidence of sexual violence among athletes in colleges and professional organizations is somewhat murky, but the MSU/Larry Nassar, University of Michigan, and other recent cases at universities demonstrate that not all reports of sexual violence are elevated past the level of reporting. Underreporting is also common among victims, and while it is largely understood that young women athletes represent most victims, this is also due to underreporting by male athletes. This project will result in: 1.) topic specific training sessions for at least three Southeast Michigan athletic organizations; 2.) consultation to SEMI sports organizations related to specific incidences, policies and procedures, or emerging opportunities to shore up the safety of athletes; 3.) marketing and branding strategies around the Institute’s athletic training and education; 4.) network and market training to additional SEMI athletic organizations, including other universities/colleges, youth sports organizations, community organizations, and K-12 athletics; 5.) deployment a volunteer training corps to meet demand while lowering program costs; and 6.) program evaluation.