BreakingGround Awardee: Refining a Support Group for Student Survivors of Gender-Based Harm: A Process Evaluation of We Believe You

Congratulations to Emma Archibald, Lauren Allen, Kate Arbaugh, and Abigail Asare for being awarded a BreakingGround grant! Their project – “Refining a Support Group for Student Survivors of Gender-Based Harm: A Process Evaluation of We Believe You” – will contribute to UMBC’s continued commitment to fostering collective thriving and civic agency.

We Believe You is a student-led, trauma-informed support group at UMBC serving students impacted by gender-based harm. Founded by undergraduate students in 2017 and now housed within the Women's, Gender, and Equity Center, the weekly group fosters community connection and individual healing through facilitated discussion, self-care practices, and survivor-centered activism. BreakingGround funding will support a systematic process evaluation of the group and the development of a flexible curriculum guide for student facilitators. The evaluation will center student voices through satisfaction surveys and focus groups with current participants, former facilitators, and campus stakeholders. Findings will inform a curriculum guide that documents effective practices, discussion topics, and activism activities, preserving the group's responsive approach while reducing the burden on future student facilitators and strengthening leadership transitions. The team aims to share the completed guide with the broader campus community and hopes to inform the development of similar student survivor groups at other institutions across the University System of Maryland.

Emma Archibald said about this project:

We are thrilled to receive funding from BreakingGround to support the evaluation of We Believe You, our support group for survivors of gender-based harm at the Women’s, Gender, & Equity Center. This group has already become a meaningful source of support and connection for a small community of students, and we are excited to learn how we can make it even stronger. Through this evaluation, we hope to grow We Believe You into a space that students can truly take ownership of - one that fosters belonging, connection, and supportive community for anyone who has experienced gender-based harm.

The BreakingGround initiative provides grants of up to $2,500 to UMBC faculty, staff, and students who want to launch or strengthen educational and community-building projects. These projects should, as a part of their work, foster civic agency: the ability to initiate and make meaningful contributions to social change. For more information, visit the BreakingGround website at civiclife.umbc.edu/breakingground.