In the G42 apartment this week, we had a Sexual Violence Prevention Program Coordinator and victim advocate Laura Weiss talk to us about her work with Cornell Social Consultants, students who work undercover to prevent sexual violence.

I was fascinated  by the ways that individual members of mini-communities took initiatives to better their communities. From what I gathered, they first analyzed a specific interaction that they want to stop, e.g. sexual violence and rape. They brainstorm to find a way to disrupt this interaction using a fun activity or a convenient solution to a problem in the community. Lastly, they tell the leaders of the community who then implement the idea.

I found this interesting because community can be crucial for a person’s well being and development. This evidence-based way of improving a community such that a person isn’t harmed by it has so much potential to solve group conflicts and issues, maintaining a safe space for people to be or live in. I’m considering diving into this more, looking for information about not only conflict resolution between two people but also the manipulation of the community’s routines for the sake of its members.