ST. GEORGE — Walk a mile in their shoes.

That age-old adage about caring for others manifested in real life Saturday morning when community members gathered for the fourth annual In Heels 2 Heal sexual assault awareness walk.

Participants assembled in the parking lot at Desert Coral Health Center at 10 a.m. for dancing and socialization before making their campaign around the Intermountain Health Care campus.

Cencira Te’o, co-founder of the local chapter of the Pacific Island Chamber of Commerce, told St. George News that the annual walk is held in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Te’o explained that the event spotlights KAVA Talks, a program that is part of PIK2AR, which stands for Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources. PIK2AR is an empowerment agency for the local Polynesian community.

KAVA, or Knowledge Above Violence Always, Talks is an online and in-person peer support group providing education and advocacy for and by men.

Created eight years ago, the program encourages Polynesian men to be part of the solution in the fight against domestic violence and sexual assault. KAVA Talks is for all men, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation and promotes nonviolence.

“Domestic violence and sexual assault awareness are men’s issues,” Adrian Swensen, a facilitator with KAVA Talks, told St. George News. “Ninety-six percent of the perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault crimes are men.”

While it is a men’s group run for and by men, anyone can attend online or in-person KAVA Talks, Swensen said, noting that the local St. George group has about 40-50 attendees.

“It’s an informal, safe way for men to talk about uncomfortable things,” Swensen said.

KAVA Talks is also a certified program for rehabilitating ex-convicts. Certain parole programs allow former prisoners to enroll in KAVA Talks as part of their probation.  

The In Heels 2 Heal walk works on the idea of empathizing with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault by wearing their shoes and “actually walk a mile in them,” Swensen said.

Saturday’s event at the Desert Coral Health Center featured music, dancing, food trucks and a health fair.

A variety of agencies sponsored booths at the health fair, including the Dove Center, Family Support Center, Cherish Families, Utah Tech Student Resources, Rocky Vista Health, USARA (Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness), Family Health Care, encircle, Four Points Health, Premier Health and Wellness and Health Choice Utah.

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.