Dorie’s journey proves that peer education and persistence can reshape an entire school.

By Dorie McNamara

Hi my name is Dorie McNamara! Over the past two years that I’ve been working with SafeBAE,

I’ve matured as an individual, developed as a leader, and discovered my passion for social

justice. I always knew I wanted to make a change in my community, but it wasn’t until SafeBAE

presented at my school, Central Catholic High School, during my sophomore year that I was

provided with the opportunity to make a real difference. From there, I decided to take the online

peer education program SafeBAE provides to develop my understanding around sexual

violence prevention and consent. After talking to many faculty members at school, I finally found

a way to get a SafeBAE club started at my high school! Together our club raised over $500 for

local domestic violence shelters and hosted fundraising events like bake sales, movie

screenings, a ping pong tournament, and a self defense class!! I was more than excited to get

this club going because not only were we able to spread awareness and funds for our cause,

but also it ensured student survivors had a safe space on campus. One thing I recognized

through my work with SafeBAE was where my school could improve, especially when it came to

survivor support. I decided to expand upon my advocacy platform and I joined Advocates for

Youth under the Know Your IX council during my senior year. I realized that my school wasn’t in

compliance with many areas of the Title IX policy, particularly not having a Title IX coordinator

on campus to assist with cases of sexual violence. After working with SafeBAE and Advocates

for Youth, I felt confident in my knowledge and empowered in my ability to make a difference, I

reached out to my school administrators to request a Title IX coordinator on campus and helped

get the process started. Although the true award for working with SafeBAE is seeing the real

change I made in my school, it was an honor to be recognized for my advocacy work with

SafeBAE at my school’s senior awards ceremony. Additionally, I’m more than grateful to

continue working with SafeBAE coming on as a board member this coming school year.

SafeBAE provided me with the resources to make my school a safer place and the work that we

do ultimately makes the world a better place, one school at a time.

Take Action 

You can join the movement today:

Start a SafeBAE Chapter at Your School. We provide exactly what you need—step-by-step guides, training materials, and ongoing mentorship—so you can launch peer-led consent workshops, bystander intervention trainings, and survivor support groups on campus.

Access Our Survivor-Created Toolkits. From lesson plans on healthy relationships to protocols for trauma-informed reporting, our free digital resources equip educators, parents, and students with the tools to believe survivors first and act safely.

Host a SafeBAE Speaker. Bring a SafeBAE expert into your classroom, community meeting, or parent night to share research-backed strategies and spark the conversations that protect young people.

Donate to Sustain Youth-Led Prevention. Your support ensures that Free programming, scholarships, and aftercare partnerships continue—so no survivor ever faces abuse alone, and every student has the chance to learn what consent really means.