A practice you can ground your work in, shaped by years of working with young people, and preventionists at campuses and community organizations. We call it Creative Preventionism: Spark interest, shift behaviors, and create new norms that stick. Learn more about our model.

When you work with us, you get a designer and illustrator, a strategist, a curriculum developer, a peer education expert, and a trainer, all in one team, from a mix of fields. We can help you every step of the way. Check out our Services.

We blend creativity, storytelling and joy to move young people, both emotionally and behaviorally. Our strategies are designed to help you and your organization increase engagement, connect to people’s core values/interests, and build skills in your communities. Access our Resource Hub.

Sexual violence is embedded within systems of power, privilege and oppression, which also shapes survivors’ experiences. This understanding guides our resources.

We’ve seen firsthand the power young people can have in creating new norms in their communities, which is why our resources center them.

To spark interest, we have to ditch the brochures and create materials that get folks excited to connect with us. That's what makes them more likely to volunteer or attend a workshop.

We learn the messaging and imagery that speaks to the communities of the organizations we partner with. Then we customize strategies and materials to match.

Awareness doesn't change behavior. People already know sexual violence is wrong but they often don't act for three reasons: they don’t know how, it feels socially risky, or they don’t see prevention as something people like them do. So that's what we design for, crafting strategies that build self-efficacy ("I can do this"), social support (“My friends have my back”), and self-identification (“This is what people like me do.”)

An individual's life is profoundly impacted by the relationships they form, the communities they’re a part of, the institutions they interact with, the policies that shape their environment, and broader societal norms. As such, we work to equip programs with the tools to create new, positive peer, community, and institutional norms that will support culture change.

We encourage programs to think about how they can strengthen individual knowledge and skills while also building coalitions, engaging in community education and establishing new group and institutional norms.

We work with our partners to utilize this theory to effectively launch new campus or community wide initiatives. This theory offers a valuable framework for understanding how culture change occurs and emphasizes the importance of reaching out to the early adopters/influential members of the community.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | FOUNDING MEMBER

Shekinah aka Skye is an ace first-gen Fil-Am from the ancestral lands of the Nisenan, Maidu, Miwok and Me-Wuk peoples (Sacramento, CA). Skye uses their experiences in education, child welfare and juvenile justice, mental health, and domestic violence to approach the work of RVCC in an inclusive, intersectional, and culturally-responsive way. They received a B.A. in Social Work at Cal Poly Humboldt where their discovery of CHECK IT, a sexual violence prevention program, led to a passionate involvement in violence prevention. In their free time, Skye reads tarot, creates digital art, and writes fiction.

ART DIRECTOR | FOUNDING MEMBER

Shelley is a nonbinary Chicanx multimedia artist born and raised in Los Angeles County, California on the Kizh and Tongva ancestral homeland. They have spearheaded the design of national, statewide and campus materials, everything from stickers, to campaign posters, to tabling toolkit materials. They graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt with a B.A. in Psychology. They love using their creativity and artwork to develop resources that spark curiosity and discussion. They believe in empowering communities to challenge violence they witness, create spaces of safety, and break down the systems reinforcing violence against BIPOC worldwide.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | FOUNDER

Mary Sue is Queer and lives in the East Bay of California. She has over a decade of experience in the sexual violence prevention field, and began her career as a campus preventionist. She designed CHECK IT, a nationally recognized bystander intervention and peer education program at Cal Poly Humboldt. She co-directed one of the first college sexual violence prevention living-learning communities in the U.S. Now, she works with colleges and community organizations nationwide, helping them strengthen their prevention initiatives to reach young people. Mary Sue has been awarded the Violence Prevention Championship Award by the CSU ATOD Conference and the Lifelong Achievement Award by the Humboldt Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. She holds an MSW and B.A. in Women’s Studies and Ethnic Studies.

BOARD MEMBER: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | FOUNDING MEMBER

Esmy is a first-generation Latinx/Chicanx individual born and raised in Bakersfield, CA. They received their bachelor’s degree in Cellular Molecular Biology from Cal Poly Humboldt and their Master’s in Social Work with an emphasis in health, equity, and wellness from the University of Denver. In their free time, Esmy loves to learn about spiritual healing methods as well as different ways to provide medical advocacy to POC communities. Their mission is to bring healing to those who have experienced violence and show that there is a community making cultural change.

BOARD MEMBER: COMMUNITY SUPPORT | FOUNDING MEMBER

Adrienne (she/her) is a first-generation Southeast Asian American. She was born and raised in San Diego, located on the ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay Nation. Growing up, her mother instilled a value that became the hallmark of her ambition, and that is to uplift and support people from all walks of life. Adrienne received her Master of Arts from the University of San Diego’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. At her core, she values challenging systemic violence, specifically racist policies, as she cares about creating a culture rooted in inclusivity, consent, and radical love. Currently, she is an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC) providing psychotherapy for marginalized communities.

BOARD MEMBER: DATA & EVALUATION | FOUNDING MEMBER

Tatiana grew up in a small desert town in Southern California and has a large and diverse family. Her family values community. She is a crafter and an engineer who thrives on making things and tackling tough problems. Tatiana believes compassion should permeate all we do and our relationships with others are the most meaningful things we create. She is committed to impacting lasting positive change and encouraging those who want to learn more about the movement and help their communities. She currently works as a Physical Scientist and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Resources Engineering .

BOARD MEMBER: DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION | FOUNDING MEMBER

Emily is a Chinese American and grew up in San Francisco, CA. She has a variety of interests and tends to dive deep into those interests by way of research and practice. Because of this she tries things in order to come to her own conclusions. She readily pivots into a different direction if something isn’t working and is creative when problem solving. She is committed to a career path that ultimately helps people. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology (Ecology concentration) from Cal Poly Humboldt, and enjoys interdisciplinary subjects.

BOARD MEMBER: RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Giselle is a Chicanx/Latinx queer individual who was born and raised in North East Los Angeles. She earned her B.A in Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality studies from Cal Poly Humboldt. At Humboldt, she joined the bystander intervention program, CHECK IT. Working at CHECK IT helped spark her passion to end sexual violence and she is eager to continue her work at RVCC. A few of her other passions include restorative justice and prison abolition. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her community, having conversations about astrology, reading, journaling and watching sunsets.

BOARD MEMBER: RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Fia is a Queer individual born and raised in Northern California. They received their B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Counseling Psychology. During their time as an undergrad and graduate student at Cal Poly Humboldt, they worked with CHECK IT for four years, where they found a passion for advocating for survivors and highlighting the intersections that exist between violence and systemic oppression. Fia is currently an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working with Queer clients in Humboldt County and lives in the unceded homeland of the Wiyot people. Their goal in the therapeutic space as well in their advocacy is to empower and uplift folx, and to center their voices and stories.