An activist group from Prince Albert is inviting people to stand up against violence and abuse toward women.
RISE up Prince Albert held a kickoff event this morning to raise awareness on several events coming up in the city focusing on the issue.
Conrad Burns, one of the organizers, says RISE up is a community-wide effort.
“It’s an issue that effects everyone,” says Burns. “Sometimes we just don’t know what to do to address the issue, so just challenging ourselves to stand up and say it we may do something the next time we see (violence).”
Some of the events include a Walk of Life beginning on Friday. The walk will begin in Prince Albert and travel to Saskatoon. From Saskatoon the walk will head down to Regina. A RISE up concert is also planned for May 30.
As part of today’s kickoff, RISE up also launched a social media campaign inviting people to post a short video pledging their effort to rise up against violence. Participants are invited to write the words “RISE up” on their hand then make a pledge to end violence against women. They are then asked to challenge others to make the same pledge.
Burns says the campaign is a simple way to raise awareness.
“We want to challenge people to rise up and confront abuse in all forms. We want everyone to stand up because change happens when everyone works together to create it.”