A college campus is supposed to be a safe place that nurtures academic and personal exploration.
But students also experience violence, and many of them are women, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people.
It's a tough problem to talk about, much less solve, and it's not a cause many young people feel comfortable taking on.
HeForShe, a UN initiative to make men vital participants in achieving gender equality, hopes to change that on Dec. 3 by hosting a global "ideathon" on college campuses.
Help us make college a safe home for everyone during our global #Ideathon this Thursday. https://t.co/fyEwADzqiE #HeForShe #16Days— HeForShe (@HeforShe) December 1, 2015
These "physical brainstorming sessions" are meant to bring students together to answer a vexing question: "How would you create a culture of transparency on college campuses to end gender-based violence?"
HeForShe wants students to help reform broken systems and policies so victims feel comfortable reporting violence and institutions are held accountable for their response.
If that seems like too overwhelming of a task, HeForShe is providing students with a list of practical suggestions to facilitate a non-judgmental conversation focused on solutions.
Ideathon "squads" will ideally appoint a coordinator and gather for two to six hours. Students need to know what's how a campus is already addressing the problem and think creatively about what more administrators, individuals and the community can do.
No idea is too small. On 12/3, tell us how you plan to help end gender-based violence on college campuses using #HeForShe and #16days.— HeForShe (@HeforShe) November 30, 2015
HeForShe is inviting students to share their best ideas by Dec. 5. Organizers hope participants worldwide will also post their ideas online using the hashtag #HeForShe and #16days.
The so-called 16 Days of Activism is a two-week UN campaign to raise awareness about violence against women across the globe.
One in three women, according to the UN, have experienced physical and sexual violence. In the U.S., research [PDF] shows that a quarter of women were sexually assaulted in college. Research also suggests LGBTQ students are twice as likely as their peers to experience gender-based violence.
HeForShe is pitching the ideathon to students with a short, upbeat video of a young man on a college campus talking about his school pride.
"We can make it somewhere we all feel safe," he says. "We can speak out and never be a bystander."