PATRICK COUNTY, Va. – A new booth at FloydFest aims to address nationwide sexual assault by spreading awareness to thousands of people.
The new booth, SoulShine, is offering consent education and resources for survivors.
Licensed counselors have early evidence kits on-site for DNA collection after a sexual assault.
People can also contact a staff member through the radio at the festival if they want immediate intervention or mental health resources.
The state health department and other health partners provided 7,000 condoms for distribution and Plan B pills at the event.
Sexual assault is not prevalent at FloydFest, but with up to 15,000 people visiting the festival this week, SoulShine Founder Lisa D’Alessio said she wants to push out negative stigmas on the topic.
“I think empowerment is really important in the healing process,” she said. “This is a human issue not just a gender issue. It happens to everyone and we just want people to feel seen and heard.
Leda Health partnered with Soulshine to offer anonymous consent violation forms to keep cases discreet.
In a statement, the CEO and co-founder of Leda Health, Madison Campbell, expressed her thoughts on the new partnership at the festival.
“Leda Health is thrilled to be partnering with Soulshine Event Services to educate FloydFest attendees about sexual assault resources and address the mental health needs of survivors. It’s remarkable to see the steps FloydFest has taken this year to provide the resources to ensure concertgoers feel safe and protected, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact of making these critical services accessible to attendees,” Campbell said.