First Things First: Your Story, Your Words takes place on April 15, during Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month. This event is a coming together of not only students, faculty, and community members, but it is also a collaboration between the WKU English Department, the WKU Gender and Women’s Studies Program, and Hope Harbor.

As a part of philanthropy in the community, this event invites collaboration with Hope Harbor, WKU, and Bowling Green as a whole. “It’s an event where we are able to raise money for Hope Harbor. They collect donations at the event”, says Jess Folk, an associate professor in the English Department, who is the primary organizer of the event. Hope Harbor is a local organization that serves the Bowling Green area with other locations in Kentucky. Folk gives a summary of Hope Harbor’s main goal, which is to “support victims of sexual violence.” Hope Harbor uses this event to talk about their services like therapy, hospital support, and assist with legal cases that they offer to the Bowling Green community.

Before this event, WKU hosted a classic Gender and Women’s Studies event, the Vagina Monologues, but Folk and others felt that the annual event needed an update to fit the current time. For this event, students, faculty, and community members can discuss their sexual assault experiences, but they can also find community through telling their stories about a variety of topics. “We’ve had folks who talk about sexuality, gender, race, all sorts of stuff,” Folk shares.

Folk emphasizes that the event is inclusive to all community members, not just WKU students. “There’s a space where they can go and be honest about themselves and what they have been through and heal through various ways.” Folk shares, “Feedback from those who have participated has been very positive since “this is the first time that they got to talk publicly something or that it gave an opportunity to share a story that was very personal.” This event provides a safe space for those to explore related themes, stories, and more.

The First Things First event will be held on Wednesday, April 15th in the Gordon Wilson Hall Lab Theatre at 5 pm. Donations to Hope Harbor are greatly appreciated, but not required, to attend the event. The English Department encourages students to attend First Things First and support their fellow classmates and community members as they reach out a hand for support.