About Us
The goal of sexual violence prevention is to stop it from happening in the first place.
Our Goals
Increase community engagement & accountability
Sexual violence affects everyone. According to the CDC, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes.1 More than half of sexual assault incidents occurs while the victim is pursuing leisure activities away from home, and instances of rape within colleges are severely under-reported.2
THIS IS NOT OKAY.
The AngelShot WINGS Program will reinforce social norms that protect against sexual violence to achieve our mission of creating safe environments.
Our Ambassadors work with local establishments, student councils and school administrators to identify and address sexual violence by defining policies on prevention and intervention within their communities.
To be designated as Havens, local establishments and schools are asked to take a pledge of accountability and transparency — self-assessing their current environment when it comes to sexual violence prevention and taking actions to make it safe.
Prevent incidents and encourage victims to seek help
As awareness becomes more prevalent, we are seeing an increased number of grassroots movements within individual establishments that help prevent people from becoming victims of sexual violence. While technology has enabled us to easily check in on our friends when they’re out on dates, it still requires relying on someone else. Not everyone will have that option and there is no guarantee someone will be around when you need them.
THIS NEEDS TO BE BETTER.
AngelShot’s knowledge base will arm an individual with the information and knowledge to recognize when they’re in a potentially dangerous situation, and will provide them with the methodology to help themselves get out of it.
Using a mobile phone, AngelBot provides an exit strategy for an individual when they need to be bailed out of an unwanted situation.
Should someone become the victim of sexual violence, we will be there to provide the support and resources necessary for them to report the incident.
Prevent violence by ending “Rape Culture”
We live in a society where sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media. It is bolstered in popular culture by the objectification of women’s bodies, use of misogynistic language, and the romanticization of sexual violence. This encroaches on women’s civil liberties from personal interactions to governmental policies.
THIS HAS TO CHANGE.
Women’s rights and safety should be a guarantee. AngelShot provides educational resources that will compel our society to shift its mindset on the unacceptable behaviors that perpetuate rape culture. Through shared stories and experiences, we provide an outlet for those who have been a victim of sexual violence.
We must educate and empower our communities to identify and combat the culture of toxic behavior. This includes engaging allies on how to be respectful sexual partners, promoting healthy sexuality and intimate relationship skills.
Events allow our program to grow and reach more women and communities so that they can take an active role to influence and ameliorate these cultural norms.
- "Preventing Sexual Violence." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 January 2020,https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/sexualviolence/fastfact.html.
- Sinozich, Sofi and Lynn Langton, Ph.D. “Rape And Sexual Assault Among College-Age Females, 1995-2013.”Bureau of Justice Statistics, 11 December 2014,https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5176.
- “Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics.” Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, 2020,https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence.
Milestones
Future program expansion
Expand to large colleges in major metropolitan areas
- > 15,000 students
- Ex: University of Southern California, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, Michigan State, University of Texas at Austin
Expand to “medium” colleges
- 5,000 - 15,000 students
- Ex: Yale, Brown, Howard, Duke, University of Arkansas, University of Montana, Binghamton University
Expand to all colleges nation-wide
Expand social media outreach
- Explore various platforms such as GroupMe and Snapchat
- Invite local establishments such as bars and coffee shops to participate in WINGS
Meet the Team
Wendy Lau, Co-Founder
Wendy is a Hong Kong native who immigrated to Canada at a very young age, and moved to NYC to further her career in technology. She enjoys leading engineering teams and the challenges around process, efficiency and problem solving. She has since applied these interests to her current role as a Data Product Manager. You’ll likely find her printing her photos in the darkroom or playing video games, while listening to podcasts about how to work happily.
Soraya Dib, Co-Founder
A self-proclaimed challenger of the status-quo, Soraya is a first-generation American and NYC native. She studied art and science and has established herself as a technology leader, founding a Women in Tech employee resource group as well as Women Tech Leaders NYC. She loves inspiring creativity in others and using her talents to promote women’s safety. She loves experimenting with visual art, container gardening and hosting BBQs during the warmer seasons.
Aida DeWitt, Director
A senior software architect hailing from Toronto, Aida is a Canadian living in the San Francisco bay area. As an enterprise Solutions Architect she leads product & engineering teams at Fortune 500 companies on design of modern cloud based customer experience delivery platforms. She is passionate about democratizing access to information and using technology for positive social impact. She balances her time working with bytes by getting outdoors; biking, hiking and getting her hands dirty with sustainable backyard gardening.
Our mission is to provide tools and knowledge that empower women to safeguard themselves and encourage communities to act as havens for them.
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