The Pink Heart Project, created by sophomores Beatrix Rhone and Elzie Bieganek, hopes to build visible solidarity and support for survivors of sexual assault. This spring, the invitation to draw a pink heart or wear a pink heart and share a photo will be on Apr. 25.

Q: Did you create the project or was it preexisting?

EB: We are the creators and leaders of the Pink Heart Project. The Pink Heart Project took some inspiration from Denim Day but is an original project that we created in 2022.

Q: Why and when did you decide to bring the Pink Hearts project to SPA?

BR: We decided to bring the Pink Heart Project to SPA in 2022. We came up with the idea because sexual assault was a big topic that was circulating throughout the school. We thought the topic was important to acknowledge but we wanted to create a way to acknowledge the topic without causing harm to others or disruption to school. We also thought it would be a good idea to show sexual assault survivors and victims that they are not alone and that they have people who support them.

Q: How did this project connect you two as its leaders in the SPA community?

EB: This project connected us as leaders to the SPA community because we were able to stand up for what we believe in and encourage others to stand with us. It was truly amazing to see how many people participated the first and second times we did the project to show that, as a community, we share something we believe in.

Q: Why is it important for students to participate in this project?

BR: It is important to show support to those who have gone through sexual assault and to show that, as a community, we support and stand with survivors and victims of sexual assault.

Q: What is your goal for this project?

BR: [We hope] to show support for those who have been affected by sexual assault and also to show our support for survivors and victims. The big goal for us was to create awareness around sexual assault and to show others that they are not alone.

Q: What do you hope the Pink Heart project will look like in the future?

EB: To start the Pink Heart Project, we did a trial run on Oct 28, 2022. The trial run was only the SPA upperschool. The trial run went well, and we started to plan for the first official Pink Heart Project day, which happened on Dec 9, 2022. The official day was for any school and any grade to participate in. On Dec 9, 2022, 6 schools and over 150 people participated. We plan to do this in April every year now because April is sexual assault awareness month. We hope that this continues to reach other schools in Minnesota and possibly other states.

The two welcome submitted photos via school e-mail. Include consent to publish the photo or note how your photo can be used.