Monterey County Rape Crisis Center


	The Monterey County Rape Crisis Center (MCRCC) is a nonprofit agency whose mission is to advocate for all victims and survivors of sexual assault and child sexual abuse, to prevent sexual violence in our community through education, and to provide ongoing support and healing to survivors of sexual assault.

My Life MCRCC

MY LIFE Mission

The MY LIFE Club fosters an environment that empowers young women to embrace their strengths, make safe and healthy decisions in their lives, and create positive change in their communities.

The curriculum addresses three main objectives:

Decrease risk factors that contribute to
sexual violence and gender oppression

Promote protective factors that support healthy
adolescent development and future success

Build skills and experience mobilizing
positive change and supporting a beloved community

How do we do this?

Monterey County Rape Crisis Center (MCRCC) has established clubs for young women at several High Schools in Monterey County. Club sessions are held once a week throughout the school year during lunch or after school. The topics discussed during club sessions cover a wide array of issues that support students’ in learning to:

---Recognize attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate
the cycle of sexual violence

---Critically examine media messages and recognize the influence these messages have on our perceptions of self and others

---Increase self-esteem and self confidence through activities that highlight strengths and build upon personal potential

---Apply healthy communication strategies and boundaries in various situations

---Identify allies and facilitate positive change within their community

In addition to weekly club meetings, students also organize awareness-raising activities on their school campuses and participate in community events. During the 2010-2011 school year they hosted multiple activities that highlighted the prevalence of sexual violence in our community and encouraged action from their peers. They also supported their local community through volunteer work, which included hosting the “Why Ending Sexual Violence Matters to Me” project at MCRCC’s “Together with Love” walk/run.

My Life Run Walk
February 2011
(click on photo for a larger view)

What do our youth think?

Want to hear first hand the impact that My Life has had on the lives of our youth? Then click on our YOU TUBE video below and hear what former and current members have to say!

Funded in part by the California Department of Public Health,
United Way of Monterey

What MY LIFE Members are saying:

What does the My Life club mean to you?

“My Life is a movement, an empowerment for girls. My Life gives girls like me a voice,” (My Life club member, Marina High School, 2011).

“It means a great deal to me. It means family,” (My Life club member, Everett Alvarez High School, 2011)

“It means hope and strength. It means rightful moral action and compassion. It means fortitude and empathy,” (My Life club member, Pacific Grove High School, 2011)

“My Life is a safe haven for me to express my opinions without being judged,” (My Life club member, Pacific Grove High School, 2011)

“It means friendship, education, and partnership,” (My Life club member, Salinas High School, 2011).

“To me the My Life club empowers girls/women. It teaches me that my opinion does matter,” (My Life club member, Salinas High School, 2011).

"My Life club means that we all have rights,” (My Life club member, Salinas High School, 2011).

“The My Life club is a place to have fun, but also to discuss important issues and receive some education on these topics,” (My Life club member, Pacific Grove High School, 2011)

What is one thing you are going to take away this year from being in the My Life club?

“That women really are equal, that media and society are still saying otherwise, and that I can stand up for what I believe in,” (My Life club member, Pacific Grove High School, 2011).

“More knowledge about media oppression and violence against women,” (My Life club member, Pacific Grove High School, 2011).

“How much it has inspired and taught me to not judge. It’s taught me to do something if someone gets bullied, “(My Life club member, Marina High School, 2011).

“The sense that I am not alone in my opinions and beliefs. I have support to do the right thing. I know that there are strengths that we all have, everyone is important and special and worthy or respect. This message that My Life promotes was a breath of fresh air. Compared to these around me, I thought I was the only one who had a “My Life” mentality. It was a burden gone to see that I was not alone,” (My Life club member, Pacific Grove High School, 2011).