No matter the challenges we face, caring for our children must always be our first task.” – President Barack Obama (March 2013)
For Sexual Assault Assault Awareness Month, use your voice to build brighter futures for the children in your life. Open yourself up to questions and conversations about healthy sexuality by talking early, talking often, and doing your part to prevent sexual violence:
It’s not enough for us to know these issues. Our work as advocates compels us to reach farther – to share the message that violence is preventable and model how to make it happen. This eNewsletter highlights opportunities that can serve as catalysts for social change. It’s up to you to pay the message forward.
Continuum of Evidence: The proof is in the pudding!
Why do we do what we do?
How do we know we are making a difference?
What does our experience tell us about what works?
Advocates are increasingly being asked to identify and integrate evidence-based practice into their programs. At the same time, practice-based evidence is gaining credibility and validity in the research arena. Both pieces are important to ensuring that our services are innovative, culturally-responsive, and best meeting the needs of survivors and their families. The highlighted resources in this issue explore the importance of evidence to our work.
We are at a pivotal moment in our movement history where we need to consider how partnering with researchers and documenting our successes can assist in advancing the field and securing essential resources. – Promising Futures, a project of Futures Without Violence
Fall brings new energy and excitement for learning as students and educators prepare for an academic year brimming with the potential for growth. This eNewsletter highlights new opportunities for advocates and other social change agents to expand knowledge, exercise critical thinking, continue to develop practical skills, and build a true community of practice.
Join us on campus.
The PCAR/NSVRC Campus is a joint effort between the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). It offers a variety of eLearning courses to educate and support you in your efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence. Registration is required, but all courses are free of charge. Check out the newest course, Sexual Violence in Disasters: Understanding the Scope of the Problem. Based on a case study from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this course provides an overview of the issue and guides participants through strategies for pre-planning and response.
Study prevention.
PreventConnect recently announced their newest project: Learn.preventconnect.org. This website offers a catalog of interactive courses – divided into introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels, web conference recordings, and other online offerings helps to promote learning efforts for the prevention of sexual and intimate partner violence. Through this project, PreventConnect seeks to grow a national community of learning!
Think critically.
The Building Comprehensive Solutions (BCS) website is the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence’s new resource to support critical thinking, learning and victim-defined advocacy. Tools include thinking and learning exercises to facilitate key conversations about implementing the BCS approach in program work.
Violence is preventable. We know it, we believe it. This idea inspires our work, and lately the buzz has been calling us to action. See how some of our partner organizations have been sparking the conversation.
The NSVRC’s Mapping Prevention video podcast series highlights unique state and community approaches to the prevention of sexual violence.
This 5-part series includes the following topics:
Incorporating Healthy Sexuality with Alison Bellavance, Director of Education and Training at Planned Parenthood of Northeast and Mid-Penn in Pennsylvania
Consent Work in LGBTQI Communities with Dustina Hasse-Lanier and Jessica Gilbertson of the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Virginia’s YES Campaign with Jonathan Yglesias, Sexual Violence Prevention Coordinator for the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance
Branding Prevention with Ashley Maier, former Prevention Program Coordinator with the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force
Engaging Fathers with Craig Norberg-Bohm, Coordinator of the Men’s Initiative for Jane Doe, Inc.
In the blogosphere, Jen Grove’s Perspectives of a Preventionista blog connects readers with innovative sexual violence prevention programs and resources. Read the NSVRC Prevention Outreach Coordinator’s musings on the challenges of moving forward a social change agenda to end sexual violence.
The Healthy Masculinity Action Project (HMAP) is a two-year action project to spread the message of healthy, non-violent masculinity across the country by developing new male leadership that role models strength without violence. This October 17–19 in Washington, DC the Healthy Masculinity Summit will will mark the beginning of the HMAP, bringing together some amazing faculty like Rosalind Wiseman, Joe Ehrmann, Rachel Lloyd, and Brian O’Connor to lead conversations about healthy masculinity, including how it relates to the prevention of domestic and sexual violence.
Join the conversation: Connect. Respect. Prevent Sexual Violence.
The 2012 Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) campaign promotes positive expressions of sexuality and healthy behaviors. Using new tools and resources, advocates and preventionists can address some of the root causes of sexual violence. The focus is on building a healthy future, not just ending sexual violence. We strive for relationships that are consensual, respectful and informed. By starting the conversation, this dialogue can incorporate new partners and strategies to prevent sexual violence. This April, it’s time to talk about healthy sexuality. This year’s day of action is Tuesday, April 3. Join us in taking a stand by starting the conversation on Twitter (#Tweetaboutit).
To learn more about SAAM, new resources, and the current campaign visit: www.nsvrc.org/saam/.
April is also National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In time to promote the goals of both SAAM and NCAPM, The National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Exploitation has just released their updated The National Plan to Prevent the Sexual Exploitation of Children (March 2012). The purpose of this plan is to help assure all children have childhoods free from sexual abuse and exploitation in both physical and digital environments and have opportunities to develop into healthy adults capable of having healthy relationships.
In the advocacy community, the beginning of a new year ushers in a multitude of opportunities for calling attention to priority issues that impact our work. We spent January shedding light on 
Let’s Go #Back2School
In the blogosphere, Jen Grove’s 
Recent Comments