WHAT WE DO
Empowering all students and holding Catholic institutions to a higher standard
Dinah’s Voice is a student-focused, survivor-driven organization whose mission is to raise awareness about sexual violence on Catholic high school and college campuses and ensure accountability from academic administrators.
We do this by engaging with students, offering support for survivors, and helping the institution’s communty hold these administrators accountable for the safety and well-being of the student body with the implementation of positive policies and resources compatible with Catholic theology to change a culture of sexual violence that is pervasive within academic environments.
STUDENT EMPOWERMENT
Students are our main focus and therefore also the very ones we want to empower to change the culture on their campuses, especially among their fellow peers.
ADMINISTRATIVE ENGAGEMENT
Change can only occur with a cooperative and understanding administration. We want to help administrators create safer policies and protections for students in a manner that is compatible with Catholic theology.
COMMUNITY COOPERATION
Schools are integral parts of every community. Students live, work, and play within the community, and so it’s important for others to become aware and educated, to promote a better society for all.
CHURCH INVOLVEMENT
Upholding the dignity of human persons is an intrinsic aspect of the Catholic faith. We want to help church leaders and organizers understand sexual violence and initiate conversations about it, in order to create a church culture where survivors feel safe coming forward.
CHANGING INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE AROUND SEX CRIMES
IT STARTS AT THE TOP
Institutional commitment to holistic education and human dignity must be the starting point if any meaningful cultural change is going to occur around the stigma of sexual violence an the survivors of these crimes.
EDUCATION
Students should be informed about their rights and options under Title IX and the Clery Act.
FAITH
Survivors have spiritual needs and should be welcomed by their faith leaders.
HUMAN DIGNITY
Victims of sexual violence deserve to be treated with respect during investigations.
HUMAN SEXUALITY
Informing students about consent does not contradict Catholic teachings on sexuality.
IT’S NOT JUST A LEGAL MATTER
BASIC GOSPEL VALUES
Following the legal directives and implementing proper response protocol, while extremely important, do not go far enough in promoting the Gospel values that Catholic institutions are founded on and espouse. It is a matter of vocally demanding that our institutions be the communities they claim to be: communities that promote the flourishing of all human beings. Continued silence will only wound.
INITIATIVE
Let people know that it’s ok to talk about it, it’s ok to report it, and it’s ok to come forward.
PREVENTION
Provide students with the tools and resources they need to be aware of red flags.
RESPECT HUMAN DIGNITY
People are called to uphold the dignity of victims of sexual violence and supporting them in the aftermath of an attack.
SPEAK UP
it is not enough to merely decry rape culture — communities must be vocal in demanding that institutions promote the well-being of all human persons.
Latest Posts
Catholic doesn’t mean non-toxic
When the culture keeps you from coming forward… Just because your school is Catholic doesn’t mean it’s free from fostering a toxic culture when it comes to sexual violence. Like[…]
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A response to the recent CNA article about FUS and Title IX
Catholic News Agency released an article on April 25, 2018 by reporter Mary Rezac, concerning recently accused Franciscan University of Steubenville and their sexual assault policies, along with not-so-subtle accusations[…]
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Let’s talk about shark attacks
Do you know the odds of being attacked by a shark? They’re around 1 in 4 million — but you wouldn’t know that when the occasional shark attack does pop[…]
Read moreLeadership
View Full TeamDinah’s Voice is overseen by an Executive Board as well as an Advisory Council with external consultants.
