The 25th-annual Fox Valley Take Back the Night  will be held Wednesday, Oct. 7, kicking off from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Alumni Welcome and Conference Center, 625 Pearl Ave.

The event is aimed at raising awareness and providing education to stop intimate partner violence and mobilize bystanders to speak up and reach out. The night also spotlights allies, supports survivors and remembers those lost to violence.

This event begins at 5:30 p.m. View a full schedule of events, which includes a resource fair, the rally and march and a Never Silent Exhibition at the Gail Floether Steinhilber Art Gallery  in Reeve Memorial Union.

From the late 1970s through present day, Take Back The Night events have been held by college and university women’s centers, YWCAs, rape crisis centers, community centers, high school student groups, battered women’s shelters and other organizations dedicated to helping women achieve safety and empowerment.

Most events involve candlelight vigils, speak outs, marches and rallies in order to raise awareness about sexual violence. Some events involve only women. But as more men voice their own stories of sexual abuse, more events are  becoming coed efforts to raise awareness and promote healing. All events strive to bring awareness to the problem of sexual violence and support those who have been victimized.

Fox Valley Take Back the Night is a collaborative effort between organizations, allies and sponsors throughout the region. Programs and services are available on campus and throughout the community.