This Valentine’s day, students on CU’s campus are shifting the focus of the holiday from cliché love towards respect and compassion.
Ask any woman on the street, and she’ll tell you there’s a huge issue when it comes to respect for women that can only be solved by a major culture shift. And though things like street harassment, sexual abuse, and unhealthy relationships are all too common and ever present in minds of women, there are smaller ways people can become advocates for the important women in their lives. Rethinking what respect means and finding the proper routes to show it is a great place to start.
On Wednesday, February 14th, Senior Alec Parezo and the campus team will be on campus promoting the project, Respect Her Heart . The idea behind the project that true respect and compassion will mean more than flowers or chocolate ever will. The project also works to end old clichés about love and encourage the idea that women shouldn’t feel like they are any less capable of professional success than their partner or male peers.
To help demonstrate this point, the campus team is setting up a giant black chalk board where women can come and write what respect from a friend or partner means to them. The community is encouraged to stop by, participate by writing on the board, and grab a free Kind Bar. Participants will also be encouraged to check out respectherheart.org and donate to local organizations which help to further the cause. The team will also be putting together a promotional video which includes women from CU’s campus, sharing how they interpret respect. This event will be held from 8 am to 5 pm on Wednesday, February 14th at the UMC.
The project is sponsored by the Ad group, EnergyBBDO, who is based out of Chicago. More information and ways to become involved can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Respect-Her-Heart-171795350216144/