As October officially ends today Halloween can be a time of great fun and thrill seeking for many young adults. Halloween, is one of my favorite holidays since it is a time where we can dress up and pretend to be another character. It is easy to hide behind a mask and bring fear to many. However, as we watch our favorite scary movies tonight, and hand out candy to children the scariest fact is that 1 in 5 young women will be sexually assaulted at one point in their college career. Even scarier is that for many attending college there are little or no prevention programs pertaining to acquaintance rape. Prevention programs in order to be effective need to focus on the current belief systems of college students to tackle rape stereotypes.

The Leila Grace Foundation has recently began filming for our movie Uncovering the Truth, which examines college students beliefs on the issue of sexual assault. During our recent film shoot, it was discovered that many of the college students are unaware of the culture of rape which allows sexual violence to continue. The fear of speaking out against this issue is similar to the fear many victims face in coming forward with their stories. It comes a time, to face one fears and reveal the hidden truth which can be scarier than fiction. Stay tuned to the Leila Grace Foundation for news on our trailer and the date for our film premiere.

Fall has officially begun with Leila Grace Foundation looking forward to filming our first film this upcoming October. One concept that has not been discussed in many sexual assault prevention programs is the issue of communication between couples, friends, and peers on treatment of others. We need to focus on talking to one another about how we view sex and more importantly how we view each other as an individual who needs to be heard. Everyone has the right to be heard and the ability to listen to others. Listening involves not only the verbal expression, but body language as well especially since for many of us words can be difficult to find. Think about how your body language is presenting an open nonjudgmental respectful invitation to others, or a dominant powerful aggressor. We relate to one another in so many ways that is crucial to understand how all forms of communication are intertwined with solving sexual assault. Our film will focus on how we communicate our thoughts and beliefs on sexual assault in relationships whether it's friendships, romantic relationships, or peer relationships. As a young woman I have exposed many details of my life throughout this journey in order to better educate others in sexual assault. However, I have yet to speak on my views of relationships. Relationships are needed to help shape our view on ourselves and the world at large. We establish our belief system based upon our experiences good and bad. It is only when we come to the realization that we deserve to be treated with respect not as a woman or a man, but simply as human being. Please share your thoughts on how you are able to communicate about views of sex, sexual assault and gender roles in relationships @ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .