Navy Region Singapore hosted a different type of sexual assault awareness and prevention training event June 20 as Mike Domitrz, author of "May I Kiss You" and executive director of The Date Safe Project, presented an interactive and entertaining take on dating and intimacy.

More than 200 U.S. Sailors, Department of Defense civilians and their family members attended the hourlong presentation held at the region's Terror Club upper patio. According to The Date Safe Project, Domitrz is a critically-acclaimed author and works closely with the U.S. military with his unique approach in discussing society's approach to discussing sex, gaining consent, bystander intervention and how to better support survivors.

For Domitrz, his message and goals were simple.

"I wanted to let people know about and discuss three main topics of asking first, intervening, and supporting survivors of sexual assault," he said.

Domitrz' first topic of discussion, to "Ask First," included a role play on asking partners or first opening communication about wanting sex. He then discussed making mistakes when relying on body language and pointed out real-life scenarios of assumptions couples can make. During the presentation, the crowd participated in role-playing exercises designed to act out everyday scenarios people often encounter during intimacy.

"We used role playing and real-life scenarios so people can see how this pertains to their life, whether they're married or single. And that's the key to this training -- that every person feels like 'this relates to me,'" said Domitrz.

The relatable situations appeared to resonate well with the audience as they laughed and chuckled when Domitrz drove home the main points of his topics. For example, in his intervening topic, service members took part in a role-playing scenario that included a bar scene where a person used alcohol to get someone drunk for sexual favors. In this scenario Domitrz discussed intervention opportunities with the audience, and while some scenarios were funny, Domitrz maintained the seriousness of the subject.

In supporting survivors of sexual assault, Domitrz stressed the importance of being there for them. He said it is important to say to survivors, "If anything ever happens to you, I am here for you."

Throughout the presentation, Domitrz reminded everyone about the military protocol for reporting sexual assault. He explained the differences between restricted and unrestricted reporting and provided resources where victims can go for help.

For Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Jalisa Charles, a unit victim advocate for Fleet Logistics Center Site Singapore, Domitrz's training event was a great approach.

"Today's presentation was good in that it helped to reiterate the same messages that we teach our military service members," said Charles. "It's really great that Mike Domitrz spoke about the resources available for people for when they need help such as chaplains, unit victim advocates, sexual assault response coordinators, and in most cases, medical professionals."

Lt. Cmdr. Mark Robinson, sexual assault prevention and response officer for Navy Region Singapore, said he was glad Domitrz and his Date Safe Project initiatives are here for the U.S. military communities.

"It is so very important that we show our support for victims," said Robinson. "Mr. Domitrz emphasized that direct support for survivors includes listening to them, being there for them, and not blaming them. It's important that we support survivors of sexual assault. Every person deserves respect."

As the presentation came to a close, Domitrz requested audience members take what they learned and spread the word to others. In recap of his presentation, Domitrz asked several individuals what they would practice once they left the Terror Club. Several service members restated they'd practice asking their partners about their moods before intimately engaging one another and would not assume their partner is in the same mood as he or she. Lastly, as an incentive for audience participation, Domitrz gave away free items such as t-shirts, DVDs on communicating with teens, and books about sexual assault survivors.

For more information on The Date Safe Project, visit website.

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