ABOUT US
WALK UNAFRAID WORLDWIDE
Founded 2009
Walk Unafraid Worldwide is a non-profit social change organization dedicated to ending the silent epidemic of abuse by empowering victims and communities to recognize and prevent physical, sexual and emotional violence.
Founded in 2009 by abuse survivor and artist Gabrielle Senza as an extension of her work with The Red Collaborative (an arts organization Senza founded in 2001) Walk Unafraid Worldwide provides anti-violence awareness kits for schools and community groups to use throughout the year, as well as educational materials, great empowerment products, an online worldwide social network, and a supportive community sharing resources, encouragement and tips.
Gabrielle Senza
Founder, CEO
Creative activist and social entrepreneur, Gabrielle Senza has devoted much of her career to raising awareness about environmental and corporate abuse as well as breaking the silence around domestic violence, sexual assault, incest and bullying. A widely recognized artist, her work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, Lifetime Entertainment, Paine Webber, and in private collections around the world. She has taught at Mass MoCA, Cooper Union and Bard College at Simons Rock.
Known for her transformative workshops and public art collaborations, Gabrielle has been empowering students, survivors and families to create change since 2001.
She is a single mother; exhibiting artist and the founder of the Red Collaborative, a non-profit arts organization that offers “Creative Initiatives on Tough Issues”. She sits on the Advisory Board of the Storefront Artist Project; runs the Berkshire Art Kitchen, a gallery in Great Barrington, MA and is now fulfilling a longtime dream – launching the Walk Unafraid Empowerment-In-A-Box Anti-Violence Awareness Project Kits.
Her new social change organization, Walk Unafraid Worldwide makes it possible for millions of people to speak out against human rights abuses while educating the public to recognize and prevent these crimes with the organization’s first product, the Walk Unafraid Project Kits. Individuals and groups can simply follow the step-by-step instructions to create a powerful public art project that transforms participants, raises awareness and strengthens communities.
A Note from Gabrielle:
Over the last 6 months, I have had the privilege of working with a team of brilliant, fun and dedicated individuals who have been instrumental in helping to bring this dream to life.
While I originally created the first Walk Unafraid installation as a one-time site-specific collaborative art project back in 2003, the idea to bring it out as an empowering awareness tool available to the public hadn’t occurred to me. When I suddenly received several requests to create the mock crime scenes in collaboration with other groups further afield it seemed like the need might be greater than one artist could handle alone.
The feedback was very positive and for the next few years I had the opportunity to work with battered women, homeless teens, artists and students. But what really inspired me was the incredible transformation that would happen for the participants. The transition from helpless victim to empowered survivor was deeply cathartic and I saw many women and men come out of the project deeply changed. So I decided the project must be made more widely available, as it provided such a simple way to raise public awareness of abuse and simultaneously build healthier communities.
However, the business of developing a product and making it available to the public was something I was completely unfamiliar with. These folks appeared in the most perfect ways and have helped to bring the project along. Without this phenomenal group of people who have volunteered their time and expertise, I could not have done it.
I wish to thank: Wendy Frasier, Abbie von Schlegell, Nicole Garzino, Barbara Bonner, Nan Wile, Smitty Pignatelli, Barbara Newman, Skip Drumm, Karen Cellini, Joe Corcoran, Delano Burroughs, Jessica Coville, Keith Emerling, Amber Chand, Tom Lagasse, Kurt Kolok, Nancy Thomas, Halle Hayman, Art Ames, Senator Ben Downing, Lucy Pavalock, Geoff Nader, Nancy Kalodner, Kris Anderson, Keith Girouard, Meryl Joseph, Eugenie Sills, Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez, John Whalen, Kevin O’Donnell, Geoff Nader, John Toole, Marc Zegans, Eric Edelman, Barbara Fields, Elfie Six, Harryet Candee, Julie McCarthy, Karen Arp-Sandel, Ed Abrahams, Gabrielle Meyerowitz and our wonderful new interns Leeron, Sabina and Lauren!
I am tremendously grateful to everyone who has been a part of realizing this dream. May our efforts bring healing and peace to communities everywhere!
Gabrielle Senza
