If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or misconduct, help is available 24/7. For information on confidential helplines, sexual assault reporting procedures, and mental health resources, click here.

The Coach Athlete Pledge, a commitment to maintaining healthy training environments, summarizes ten best practices to ensure that future generations of athletes have safe and positive experiences. Similar to a new-client liability waiver, the pledge can serve as a valuable onboarding document that helps ensure everyone—athletes, parents, and coaches—understands the expected standards of behavior.

#WeRideTogether offers Code of Conduct signs outlining the 10 best practices laid out in the Coach Athlete Pledge free of charge. Order one for your facility or boat house by emailing info@weridetogether.today.

The Athlete Helpline is a free, confidential resource for athletes of all ages, former athletes, parents, coaches, administrators and anyone tangentially related to a sport community. Their counselors are former athletes who have been trained by sports abuse researchers to offer support and guidance on emotional, sexual or physical abuse in sport. 

If you have witnessed or suspect abuse, you are in the unique position to intervene and prevent further harm. Silence is an abuser’s best friend. It’s in everyone’s best interests to err on the side of caution and talk through any concerns you may have. Whether you seek the courage to make a call for yourself, help another, or continue healing as a survivor, counselors are available to support your journey every step of the way. 

Call or text 888.279.1026 for assistance, or visit athletehelpline.org. Live chat options are also available. This helpline is open Monday through Friday from 12 pm - 8 pm PST; calls outside those business hours are directed to the ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline, which is available 24/7.

There is no direct path to recovery for a survivor of sexual abuse. Everyone is different, and it can be difficult to understand and navigate the systems, the resources, and the fallout.

The #WeRideTogether Blog is intended to be a repository of information where someone who is coming through a sexual abuse or misconduct situation can read and explore to better understand all the systems at play, as well as a source of news and expert opinion. This blog represents the voices of counselors, prosecutorial law enforcement professionals, attorneys, public health professionals, child protection specialists, victims advocates, parents, survivors and other experts in all the areas of sexual misconduct and abuse.

Survivors are increasingly stepping forward to bravely tell their stories. They’ve turned the lights on in a dark tunnel—and they're illuminating the way to a safer future. It’s time to put an end to the culture of silence. And it has to happen now. Survivor Stories reflect the participants’ personal experiences, as told by them. If you are a survivor who is interested in sharing your story and want to learn more about this process, please reach out to #WeRideTogether at info@weridetogether.today for more information.