FARMINGTON – The Sexual Assault Victims Emergency Services recently accepted a check for $500 from Otis Federal Credit Union to help fund a new project, Girls to Girls: Print Media Outreach.

The project is under the supervision for SAVES’ School-Based Intervention and Prevention Program and will develop a prevention awareness campaign for middle school students to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation and sexual violence against girls.

The Outreach project is working with groups of high school students to develop an awareness campaign based on what the older students wish they had known when they were in middle school.

Drawing on their own middle-school experiences, they will identify key points that need to be communicated to younger students and design materials targeted specifically to middle schoolers.

The materials, including posters, brochures and book covers, will be distributed to students in the seven Franklin County middle schools beginning in September, reaching approximately 650 girls and 600 boys.

The materials will help middle school girls better understand the dynamics of dating violence and sexual assault and will improve their ability to avoid risky situations. The materials will also help to reduce the potential for sexually aggressive behavior by giving all students information about respect and personal boundaries.

SAVES School-Based Advocate Kristen Plummer said she wants all students to understand that they have the right to say “No,” and the responsibility to listen when they are told “No.”