Who We Are

Our Impact

Real Change. Driven by Athlete Survivors.

The Athlete Survivors’ Assist champions trauma‑informed systems change and policy, elevating survivor voices. We partner with institutions to create safer sporting environments for athletes through advocacy, education, and the development of resources.

Our Impact

Advocacy

  • The Assist made significant progress in advancing legislative reforms & championing survivor protections including:
  • Safer Sports for Athletes Act (2024)
  • MI SB 1187-1192 (2024)
  • MI HB 4120-4125 (2023)
  • SB 3103 (2022)
  • SB 3623 (2022)
  • Speak Out Act (2022)
  • SB 2330 (2020)
  • The Assist participated in the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) Public Hearing, Protecting the Safety of Movement Participants
  • Created and piloted the Trauma-Informed Survivor Advocacy Training series
  • Facilitated listening sessions to learn about how to help improve the sexual abuse reporting system to be more trauma-informed

The Assist made significant progress advocating for trauma-informed international policy:
Advocated with the United Nations’ (UN) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to address sexual abuse in athletic environments.

Advocated with International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials to prioritize survivor involvement in safe sport and safeguarding policymaking.

Embarked on an initiative with Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to safely engage athlete survivors that offered recommendations on the creation of an International Safe Sport Entity: https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/2f9b541e1d71b213/original/ASAG-Report-Recommendations-TAOS-May-2023-FINAL.pdf 

Education

The Assist has created innovative evidence-informed programs like Compassionate Coach® to increase the awareness of abuse in sports, prevent abuse, improve the culture of sport, and assist sports bodies to build trauma-informed systems that center on athlete wellness. The Team is frequently invited to provide trauma-informed educational programming on topics related to abuse in sport. Training is provided via workshops, presentations, and keynote addresses. Team members serve as panelists, facilitators, and moderators. Past engagements include:

  • Served as a panelist for U.S. Soccer’s Participant Safety Panel at their Playmakers’ Summit
  • Moderated a panel at FIFA’s Inaugural Safeguarding Summit 
  • Presented Preventing Sexual Assault in Sport While Centering Athletes and Athlete Survivors at the End Violence Against Women International conference
  • Presented for the World Players Association on How to Create Safe and Brave Spaces for Reporting Abuse
  • Presented on Abuse in Sports for the U.S. DOJ Civil Rights Division
  • Presented at the 2025 National Sexual Violence Conference

Resources

The Assist creates resources on abuse in sports, designed with survivor input to ensure efficacy and relevance to the sports community. Here is a sampling (Visit our Resources and Support tabs to access these publications):

2025 Impact Report

Scaled survivor-led training and technical assistance, elevated the athlete-survivor voice in global governance spaces, and launched The Assist rebrand and new website to expand access to resources.

2024 Impact Report

Introduced the bipartisan Safer Sports for Athletes Act, launched Compassionate Coach®, and cofacilitated a groundbreaking study in collaboration with the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

2023 Impact Report

The Assist connected survivor experiences to systems change and policy innovation, advanced remedies rooted in lived experience, and positioned the organization as a leading voice in sports safety.

2022 Impact Report

The Assist secured national attention by advancing federal protections for athlete survivors and delivering Congressional testimony that shaped policy reforms to improve response to and prevention of abuse in sport.

2021 Impact Report

With policy wins and global partnerships, we advanced safe sport reforms, created the Child Athlete Bill of Rights, and elevated athlete survivor voices on global stages.

2019-2020 Impact Report

From campus programs to global panels, The Assist educated, advocated, and reached 3,000+ survivors and allies in 2019–2020.

2018–2019 Impact Report

In our inaugural years, we amplified athlete survivor voices, created vital resources, and advanced advocacy to make sport safer for all athletes.

Donate Today

Your donation supports survivors, funds sexual abuse prevention education, and helps make sport safer for all athletes.

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Get Involved

Stand with us! Your involvement impacts systems change, raises public awareness, and protects athletes.

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