Elizabeth Smart will speak at the de Jong Concert Hall on campus Wednesday, March 5. Her address is part of the Voices of Courage campaign, headed by the BYU Women’s Services and Resources, dedicated to creating a culture of nonviolence.
Smart actively travels to various schools and audiences to share her story. She recently spoke at the Heritage school in Provo, where she told her captivity story and spoke of the thoughts and love of her family and faith that kept her hope alive.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, this past week Smart watched as the Utah House approved a bill to allow elementary school instruction on preventing child sexual abuse.
Following the vote, The Tribune quoted Smart telling reporters that “children need to be prepared. They need to know what their options are, what their choices are so that when they are faced with someone abusing them, or someone trying to kidnap them, that they do know that they have another choice.”
The event is free to the public, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. The event will begin promptly at 7:15 p.m. Smart will be available for book signings following the presentation. Smart’s new book, “My Story,” was released Oct. 7, 2013. More information on the event can be found here.
Smart’s speech also comes in time for National Women’s Awareness Day on March 8.
