Mysore Yoga Students Union

Client: Mysore Yoga Students Union

Mission Statement:  The Mysore Yoga Students’ Union (MYSU) strives to keep Mysore a safe place where all Yoga students, especially women, can come to stay and practice Yoga in peace. Mysore Yoga Students’ Union is for Yoga students in Mysore as well as local allies who are dedicated to our mission of keeping Mysore safe for women.

Client first wanted to collect data on sexual assaults that were happening in Mysore during ‘yoga season’ so I created a survey for people to report their assault anonymously with the option for self-identifying. I was able to collect over one hundred such reports in the first two weeks of opening the survey. I collated the data and organized into graphs that were easy to understand for a diverse and international community where English is often not their first language. Through this data, we were able to identify trends and demographics of attackers and victims. We took this data to the local police chief in Mysore to solicit his help in keeping women safe. Client then needed educational materials to raise awareness of assaults against foreign yoga students. I then designed the MYSU flyer that was packed with information that foreigners need to know to stay safe. The flyer was handed out to yoga students and posted around the neighborhoods where this was happening in order to raise awareness and keep people safe. Through our efforts, we identified and caught two of the repeat assailants. Through our double pronged approach of educating women on how to stay safe and identifying trends in the attacks, we dramatically reduced the number of assaults by more than 90% in just a matter of two months.