Help is out there: resources for survivors

Students at Mt. Hood now have access to a free smartphone application that provides all the information someone needs in the wake of a sexual assault.

Labeled “Reach Out,” the app was created by Capptivation, a small start-up based out of New York. It seeks to provide this information, as well as a list of resources, to students across America.

Jack Zandi, one of the partners at Capptivation, notes that Reach Out has specific information available for each one of the country’s more than 4,000 two- and four-year colleges.

At the most basic level, Reach Out provides “all the state resources, all the national resources – they’ll have at least one hospital, one police center, one rape crisis center and a Title IX coordinator” for any specific location, Zandi said. Colleges that partner with the app can provide additional information, such as more campus resources and policies.

The goal of Reach Out is to offer crucial information to students and faculty members “in an easy and intuitive way,” said Zandi. “The last thing a survivor needs when they get assaulted is to have trouble finding crucial information in a time-sensitive area… the goal is to allow students to help themselves, without trying to rely on (anybody) else,” he said.

The app is straightforward. Anyone may type in the name of their school and set it as one of their organizations.
The Mt. Hood page shows displays icons such as “Start Here,” “Campus Resources,” “Medical Care,” and “Reporting Options,” as well as information about advocacy, support and education.

Zandi said the simple-to-navigate format fills a gaping need.

“The more research we did, (the more) we realized how systemic this was just in terms of how many people were assaulted and that startled us,” he said. “(When) we started looking at how schools handled it, we went to a lot of websites and we started to notice a trend… a lot of information, if it was there, was hidden. Not intentionally; just in student handbooks and manual security reports, code of conducts, just places you wouldn’t know where to look for it.

“We thought an app would be a perfect place for this information for the millennial generation.”

Zandi is hopeful on the impact this app may have on combating and responding to sexual assault.

“I think a big thing is just bringing awareness to (the issue), he said. “(A lot of people) don’t really know where the resources are, or don’t even know that they exist. The most important person besides an advocate on campus, if the school even has one, is the Title IX coordinator, right? (Federal law requires a Title IX campus coordinator to address gender equity issues, including sexual discrimination, harassment and assault incidents.)

“…Most people cannot even tell you that a Title IX coordinator exists. So, if you can’t even tell me who the most important person exists on  a college campus for reporting a sexual assault, then the whole awareness thing is pretty crucial.”

General awareness of the problem plays another big role, said Zandi.

“In my mind…reporting (a sexual assault) is embarrassing. It’s shameful,” he explained. “People will get mad at you for whatever ridiculous reason and I just don’t think they’re fully aware of the whole process.” He said this lack of awareness means “they can’t empathize, and if they can’t empathize, they can’t help the survivor to get the help they need.

“If they can’t get the help they need, then they can’t eventually report, and if they can’t report then the bad actor is going to do it again,” he said, just adding to what he describes as a “cyclical process.”

Another useful feature the app provides is the ability to track multiple colleges at any given time.

This option is in part for parents who may have children at different campuses, but is also a useful tool for friends.

“A high percentage of (victims) unfortunately get assaulted during their early days of freshman year…(it’s a) very vulnerable, new time, and most people don’t have good friends who they can tell” at their new school, said Zandi. Instead, “most likely they’ll tell a friend they’ve had their entire life, someone they want to high school with,” and the app’s ability to track multiple campuses allows friends to help each other with this information even if they’re across the country.

“If friends can help friends and family members can help friends and survivors can help themselves, that’s the goal” of Reach Out, he said.

The app is free, and available [Here] on the App Store and Google Play.