CALCASA’s 2017 Statewide conference brought together 500 people committed to ending sexual assault. The speakers and workshops challenged participants and centered the voices of youth, queer and/or transgender people of color, and immigrants. Keynote speakers Beckie Masaki from Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence opened the conference with remarks on how loss is inherent to change and transitions, not just for those in crisis. During the opening session, M.L. Daniel from Faith Trust Institute asked everyone to consider “who’s not being helped because we failed to show up in our fullness?”

On the second day of the conference, Alejandra Valles led the room in a “¡YA BASTA!” chant channeling the voices of SEIU United Service Workers West to say enough is enough to sexual violence and center the voices of survivors as the experts. Mia Mingus from Bay Area Transformative Justice challenged everyone to think differently about accountability and consider reframing conversations from “holding someone accountable” to “supporting someone to be accountable for their behavior.” Hawa Adam and Kiran Waqar from Muslim Girls Making Change pressed everyone to invite youth into their spaces while being mindful of adultism and providing the necessary supports for youth to remain engaged and a part of the movement to end sexual violence.

Each day was full of transformative conversations. While the toll of thinking differently weighed heavily on those engaged in this year’s conference, the completed coloring pages displayed proudly above the “Self-Care” table captured the resilient energy of the participants. Additional pictures, videos, materials and more from the conference will be available on CALCASA’s website soon. The hashtags #ThinkDifferently2017 #CALCASAStatewide2017 included highlights and insights from the conference.

CALCASA will host the 2018 National Sexual Assault Conference in Anaheim, CA on August 29-31, 2018 Save the Date for #NSAC2018 Bold Moves: Ending Sexual Violence in One Generation.

“Transformative conversations today, bold moves tomorrow”- Sandra Henriquez, CEO