My Journey with Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre

As part of our ongoing 40th anniversary series exploring different people’s journeys with Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, we hear from Rebecca, a young person who worked with the our sexual violence prevention project to create the ground breaking theatre piece ‘Do You Know?’, and subsequent Young Voices DVD used by Rape Crisis Centres nationally. You can read more in the series from volunteers, adult survivors, and young survivors engaging with our service.

Above: Members of the 'Do You Know?' Theatre Project with ERCC prevention worker Nadine.

In 2014, aged 17, I found myself along with a small group of fellow drama students about to go on a life changing journey.

We had been a drama class for many years in academic studies, and we had all gained the highest qualification in the subject that we could at high school education. We were a close-knit group, peers that turned into friends, and friends that turned into family. Special friends that you knew you could always rely on no matter the circumstances. We were all rather startled and anxious that we were reaching our final year of high school education and we would no longer be a class. This is when Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) came in, and stopped us in our tracks of worry and fear. ERCC are saviours in many ways, helping survivors with their day to day lives, educating people on matters surrounding rape and sexual assault. By coming in, keeping us together, and starting us on this journey, they were our saviour, too.

We were so concerned in our own little world about being able to still spend time with one another, that we saw the opportunity presented to us – to create an educational drama on sexual violence and surrounding issues – as a way for us to still spend time together, to see our mates, rather than actually seeing the opportunity for what it was: a revolution that would change our outlook on life forever, and have the power to educate and provoke thoughts in others for years to come.

'The opportunity was a revolution that would change our outlook on life forever and have the power to educate and provoke thoughts in others for years to come.'

Early in the academic year we met with sexual violence prevention worker Nadine Jassat. She began to teach us all in detail through fun workshops, and thought-provoking exercises, the true definition of rape, sexual assault, sexual violence and gender imbalance issues in our modern world. She also empowered us to believe in our voices as the next generation to make a change in the world, and to create a world that we would wish to live in. One free of all these issues.

Then, that was it! We were motivated to create change, and we knew just the way to do it. We already had our acting skills under our belts - we had done this for years - we now had the knowledge required too. We were on our way to creating an engaging drama educating audiences in Scotland on the horrific issues that carry on in our world. More importantly, we were going to get the message across on how to stop it. The 'Do You Know?' theatre project was born.

'[ERCC] empowered us to believe in our voices as the next generation to make a change in the world, and to create a world that we would wish to live in.'

We worked tirelessly week in, week out, to enhance our knowledge and perfect our drama pieces. With the help of ERCC and Leith Academy, we put on a performance in the school hall for a full audience. It felt amazing knowing that we were performing to professionals in the industry along with survivors, friends, family, and even members of the community. To be educating so many people at once through a medium that we loved was an outstanding sensation. Our passion shone through our performances, and we got the opportunity to perform 'Do You Know?' at the Scottish Storytelling Centre as part of a special celebration night. We didn’t think that it could get much better than that. We were wrong.

Our performance at the Scottish Storytelling Centre was attended by members of parliament and members of the press. We had a newspaper article, TV news appearance and parliament visits that followed. We were amazed at the impact we were having on the public and local community. We then teamed up with producing company Media Co-Op who wanted to work with us. They helped us adapt our live theatre performances into film. We were now behind the camera!

We returned to the Scottish Parliament as part of a national Rape Crisis Scotland event, to speak about this and premier the films, and we met other inspiring young people working with Rape Crisis Scotland across the country working on projects of their own (visit LRCC STAMP to see the project an amazing group of young people in Lanarkshire created to help empower young people challenge gender stereotyping in the media!). The 4 short films we created are now being used by Rape Crisis centres in classrooms across the country, educating young people on rape, sexual assault, sexual violence and gender imbalance.* Putting a stop to these behaviours before they’ve been created.

This whole journey lasted around 2 years. The knowledge that we now have in our heads will stay with us for a lifetime. When we wrapped up the project, it never really ended. Our videos are still used and will still be used for many years to come. The things we learned will live with us forever.

There is something quite special knowing that you have had a lasting effect on society. Now, aged 21, I still have no idea what my future will look like. However, I know this: my future will always include some involvement with the amazing organisation that is ERCC. Since my time of beginning the project to now, I have written numerous blogs for ERCC, visited Nadine, fundraised for the centre, and try to make an impact every day.

'The knowledge that we now have... will stay with us for a lifetime.... Our videos are still used [in schools across Scotland]. The things we learned will live with us forever. There is something quite special knowing that you have had a lasting effect on society.'

I believe that I can speak for us all when I say that ERCC changed our lives and our outlook on the world. We took something from that project that we never initially realised that we would get. We have a passion. We all want to create change and live in a world where these matters do not exist. Nadine introduced us to a quotation one day during our time on the project by Mahatma Gandhi – ‘Be the change that you wish to see in the world.’ What a relevant and special quote, now very close to my heart. And what a quotation to live by.

Here’s to another 40 years of amazing work ERCC, and thank you for all the people whose lives you have touched.

~

*You can watch a clip of one of the four films, made by Rebecca and the Do You Know? team, via Rape Crisis Scotland's YouTube channel.