No More Mat-Su brings awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault

The national No More campaign works to reach people from every walk of life, and support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Janel Gagnon, a Wasilla Sunrise Rotary member, and No More advocate became involved in No More Mat-Su through the Rotary club shortly after she moved to the Mat-Su.

“I came to understand that the rate [of domestic violence] was very high here in the Valley and that they had started a campaign called No More Mat-Su, which is a local adoption of a national campaign called No More. So, now we’re in our fourth year,” Gagnon said.

Wasilla Sunrise Rotary took up the No More cause after hearing the concerns and story of a local principal who was concerned about the type of statistics for sexual assault in the Valley. One out of two women- not just in the Valley- but Alaska as a whole- would become victim to sexual assault. On top of that, by the age of 18 years old, one out of four girls and one out of six boys will be exposed to and affected by sexual assault.

“I’m just a layperson here, I’m just a parent. I’m a person who’s concerned because I have children, and because I’m a former educator,” Gagnon said.

Andrea Talbert is the current committee leader of No More Mat-Su, helping bring an end to the violence happening in Alaska.

Talbert talked about how domestic violence and sexual assault has anything but normal consequences. It affects the habits and the mental and physical health of people who experience this violence. The likelihood of suicide increases greatly.

“Silence is acceptance. If we don’t speak out against the problems in our society we accept the behavior as normal,” Talbert said.

Talbert said that every day the community see the faces of those personally affected, but not everyone takes time to think about it. According to Talbert, once people realize the magnitude of the problem, they realize that everyone is affected by the results of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“But, to effectively make a difference, we must be willing to support,” Talbert said.

“I think lately people are using the term “survivor”, though I think that adds a lot of pressure on a person to feel heroic or be healed from the trauma they’ve endured. If we want to empower those who have been hurt, I think we need to look at how we support them, not just what we call them.” Talbert explained.

Former sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Garnet is passionate about bringing awareness to the problem of domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska.

The state statistics of abuse are lower than actuality. The stats only take into account adult women who have had access to a phone. More often than not, people will experience domestic violence and never report it, or stay in the homes and places where they experience it.

People in rural areas are especially vulnerable to domestic violence and sexual assault because of a more concentrated drugs and alcohol abuse, frequent isolation, and poverty. Runaways and drug and alcohol users run a higher risk of experiencing assault and are less likely to report it as well. This is one reason why No More is so eager about bringing general awareness to the Valley and all of Alaska.

“Once other people are aware, it’s [domestic violence and sexual assault] not so much of a secret,” Garnet said.

Bringing awareness is the campaign’s mission, and they have several methods of doing so.

In years passed, No More Mat-Su has held No More Summits, which are community events. Summits work to involve the youth of the Valley through arts and bring awareness to the issue of domestic violence and sexual assault. But, No More Mat-Su found that even though these were well planned out events, they weren’t very well attended. So instead, the Sunrise Rotary Club will be taking a different route- a more engaging concert to attract and involve more youth. The Rock the Resilience concert is scheduled for April 25th at 6:30pm at the Glenn Massey Theater.

“The hope is to involve more youth through performance art,” Gagnon said.

The concert will have performances by from high schools across the Valley, a local dance company, and presentations from other passionate youths and adults.

The event showcases the need for consent in any type of relationship or interaction, and give hope to those who are experiencing the effect of domestic violence.

No More Mat-Su’s primary goal is that the campaign will be youth-led and that they will lead the community in having a general awareness of the problem and putting a stop to the violence. According to Gagnon, awareness will be spread most abundantly through the younger generation.

“I don’t think we can as adults, in good conscious expect youth to just pick up the mantle and be the spokespeople for such a big cause. But I think with the right education and the right training, I think they might be the most effective spokespeople.” Gagnon said.

But more than anything, No More Mat-Su believes involving the community is the best way to get the word out about the alarming issues around Alaska’s high rate of domestic violence and sexual assault. Whether it’s holding events, going to meetings, or simply talking about what a victim has seen and experienced is one step closer to solving these problems for a healthier community.

“If you ever feel like you’re losing hope in humanity, show up to an event or a planning meeting. We have so many wonderful people who constantly restore my faith in this community.” Talbert said.

According to Gagnon, there is a shutdown that happens in a person’s mind when they hear such alarming statistics or someone initiates a conversation about domestic violence and sexual assault. No More Mat-Su works to change this shutdown by making the facts common knowledge.

“There’s this statistic, that if somebody hears a fact five times, it just starts to settle in,” Gagnon said.

To achieve this endgame, No More Mat-Su has involved other organizations to help spread the word out to others, including Alaska Family Services Wasilla Sunrise Rotary, The Children’s Place, United Way of Mat-Su, ROCK Mat-Su, and Mat-Su Sea Hawkers.

“We condone the actions through our ambivalence to speak out. It’s not an easy conversation to have, but I would rather have a difficult discussion than another person hurt.” Talbert said.

No More Mat-Su can be found on Facebook, at No More Mat-Su, with updates on events, and various resources available to help raise awareness.

Hannah Reinhardt is a journalism student at Mat-Su Central School. She is a freshman.