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Elizabeth Smart visiting east Idaho to raise awareness of sexual assault and domestic violence

The following is a news release from Idaho State University.

POCATELLO — Idaho State University’s College of Arts and Letters will host a week of events raising awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence titled “Surviving Voices” from Dec. 5 to 8. Events include documentary screenings, dance performances and a keynote address by Elizabeth Smart.

The first event will be the screening of the human trafficking documentary “In Plain Sight” on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. The documentary will be followed by a roundtable discussion with representatives from Operation Underground Railroad, the Pocatello Police Department and ISU social work Professor Justin Lee.

On Dec. 6 at 4 p.m., Elizabeth Smart, a survivor of sexual assault and physical and emotional violence, will speak to the community about her experiences. Local victim assistance organizations, including Family Services Alliance, will be onsite to provide information and resources. There will also be a question and answer session and book signing following the presentation. This event will be held in the Joseph C. and Cheryl H. Jensen Grand Concert Hall in the L.E. and Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center. The event is sold out, but patrons can sign up for live stream access at isu.edu/cal. Tickets are required to get into the venue.

On Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m., ISU students in dance and theatre will perform “Voices” with original choreography by artistic director Lenora Lee. The dialogue tells victim’s personal stories of domestic and sexual violence from around the world. Before the performance at 6:30 p.m., Christine Hart, an international women’s rights advocate, will give a presentation offering her insight to how to combat this issue locally. Following the “Voices” performance, members of the Family Services Alliance and local social workers will be available to talk about issues raised in the performance and ask questions.

A matinee performance of “Voices” will take place on Dec. 8 at noon. This showing is aimed toward high school students from Pocatello and surrounding areas. The Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance will host a booth before and after the performance to provide information targeted at high school students about domestic violence, rape and resources they can use to stay safe.

All events will be held in ISU’s Frazier Hall, except the keynote address, and are free and open to the public. All segments contain adult content.

Surviving Voices is being sponsored by ISU’s College of Arts and Letters, Idaho Humanities Council, ISU’s Gender Resource Center, Family Services Alliance, ISU Credit Union, the Puffin Foundation, Mountain View Hospital. Pocatello Arts Council, ISU’s Cultural Events Committee, Direct Communications, and Sonniffit.

For more information, contact Melissa Lee at (208) 282-1404 or leemeli@isu.edu, or visit isu.edu/cal.

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