Become an Adult Advisor

While youth are encouraged to take ownership of creating their own dialogue around sexual harassment and assault, adult advisors are recommended valuable resources for providing context, perspective, and support for use of all SASH Club tools.

Adult advisors can be parents, school staff, counselors, young adult or college-age mentors, or members of the community. Adult advisors:

  • Assist students in chapter formation, meetings, and activities
  • Advise a chapter and guide selection of relevant SASH Club Power Topics presentations
  • Preview SASH Club Power Topics presentations for sensitive content that may be difficult to present and may possibly be triggering to some participants
  • Provide strategies to promote open discussion to ensure that all participants are heard, with special attention to the concerns of survivors of sexual violence to avoid re-traumatizing
  • Ensure that the SASH Club environment is welcoming to students of all genders, races, ethnicities, and orientations

The level of adult oversight typically depends upon the ages of the participants, where the chapter is hosted, and other factors, such as the ambitions of the chapter for action and activism.

All adult advisors should read the How to Start a SASH Club Guide.

Faculty advisors will likely be required for a SASH Club chapter hosted by a school. Faculty advisors are essential for gaining school approval to conduct activities at school.

Mandated Reporting Laws

Before working with a SASH Club chapter, all SASH Club adult and faculty advisors should be aware of their state laws defining mandated reporters, who are required by law to report suspected child abuse and possibly child-on-child sexual misconduct.  Mandated reporters are generally people who come into contact with children as a part of their employment, profession and, sometimes, as volunteers.

Mandated reporters must report suspected abuse, usually to a state child protective services hotline or to law enforcement.

All SASH Club adult and faculty advisors should be aware of state laws and obligations regarding the definition of and obligations of mandatory reporters, and seek and complete any state-required training before advising a SASH Club chapter.

Please contact us with questions and feedback on this page.