These students want you to know 'No Means No'

Enough is enough and no means no.

That's what high school students who rallied at Stuart Park hoped to convey to passerby.

The group is working to raise awareness about a problem they believe is not taken seriously enough by school division administration: sexual violence.

The Sunday action was in support of and a continuation of rolling protests that have sprung up at high schools across the Okanagan in recent weeks.

Placards of the demonstrators carried messages like: ‘What we wear does not mean yes and it never will’, ‘Don’t tell me how to dress. Tell them not to rape,’ ‘Boys will be boys, held accountable.'

Many activists expressed how the size of these rallies across the Okanagan speaks to the pervasiveness of the problem. They hope their message reaches school officials, who many felt aren't doing enough to address the issue.

“I think it should be talked about more in classes and it shouldn’t be such a touchy subject because obviously it happens so much,” one activist, who wished to remain anonymous, told Kelowna10.

“Men and women should learn boundaries and they should be teaching that in schools.”

Another protester said she doesn’t think students should ever be in a situation where they are encouraged to remain silent while still going to school with someone who may have harmed them.

Heather Friesen was among the protesters. She was a student at Mount Boucherie Secondary in the 1980s and said she experienced sexual violence while having to continue attending school with someone who she claims assaulted her.

“[The school administration] needs to step up and start addressing some of the issues,” she said. “Education is a key component of all of this.”

At the rally, a table was set up with pamphlets and resources for victims of abuse and how to practice safe sex. Signs referred people to online resources like Victim Link BC, Canadian Mental Health Association, Elizabeth Fry Society, and more.

“No matter what you’ve been through and if you’re a victim of assault or violence, people are here to support you and people care about you. There are resources that you can use and reach out to for help through difficult situations," organizer Ollie Fodell said.

The rally was organized via social media and word of mouth. Students funded the table rentals and sound equipment themselves.