SOUTH PARIS — The Rape Education and Crisis Hotline invites survivors of sexual violence and concerned others to participate in a Clothesline Project T-shirt workshop to help break the silence of violence against women.

The project is an opportunity for survivors to express their anger, celebrate their strength and join others in raising awareness about the prevalence of violence against women.

REACH will hold two Clothesline Project workshops where T-shirts will be decorated and then displayed at various venues during the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The workshops will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, and from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, at the First Congregational Church, E. Main Street. T-shirts, decorating supplies and refreshments will be provided. Writings by participants to accompany their T-shirts is welcomed but not required.

The Clothesline Project started in Cape Cod, Mass., in 1990 as a way to raise awareness of the impact violence has on individuals and on communities. It is a vehicle for survivors of violence and their concerned others to express their emotions by decorating a shirt. The shirts are hung on a clothesline to be viewed by others as a testimony to their experience.

In 1998, the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault organized an effort to create a Clothesline Project for Maine and since then has collected hundreds of T-shirts from around the state that are displayed regularly. This year, the shirts will hang in the Hall of Flags at the Maine State House on April 2.

REACH will participate by including some of the shirts that will be created at the workshops. REACH will also display the shirts later in April at the performances of The Vagina Monologues, which the organization is hosting on April 9 and 11.

Those interested in participating in a Clothesline Project workshop should call the REACH office at 743-9777, so that there will be enough materials on hand for everyone.

Call the REACH office for additional information about the workshop and The Vagina Monologues, or visit www.reachmaine.org.