It's well understood that evaluation is a necessary component of sexual violence prevention - most curricula includes materials such as post-tests and surveys so that facilitators can gauge its effectiveness. These tools are often focused on outcomes, or in other words, they measure the impact of the entire program after it is finished. Another way of evaluating involves analyzing the effectiveness of the process. For example, if someone's goal is to run a…
This Advocacy Station explores interpersonal strategies and individual approaches to compassion satisfaction and resilience building.
Children and teens experience power disparity as they navigate a world created by adults, and this socialization is compounded in the powerlessness caused by sexual violence. As advocates practice confidentiality with child and teen survivors of sexual violence, we challenge the inherent power adults have over children and youth. Advocates can constantly check personal bias about children and teens, and avoid assumptions that we know what is best for…
Many sexual assault service professionals feel unprepared when youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) participate in prevention groups. However, we should expect to see more youth with ID in such groups because of the current focus on inclusion in the public-school system.
This webinar will provide information and resources to assist the S/A professional to feel more confident in meaningfully including and supporting a prevention group participant with ID.
There are a great multitude of cultures and faiths that make up Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Ethnic identities that can be referenced in the aggregate (Southeast Asians) or disaggregated (Cambodians). Asians and Pacific Islanders are generally grouped by regions although some of these can be politically controversial. There is tremendous diversity, with Asia having more than 40 countries, and there are more ethnicities than countries (the Hmong…
Power is not inherently good nor bad, but it is used to benefit or target individuals along a spectrum of accessibility. We can easily identify ways in which racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, etc., manifest in our society, and how they might intersect with each other. We can also see how individuals and groups of people who have less access to power, or who are targets of power, are more vulnerable to sexual violence. Sexual violence is indeed about…
Sexual assault often goes unreported and this can be especially true for assaults committed against men and boys. We know that sexual assault against men and boys is not new but rather has remained invisible as a result of the societal myths about men's sexuality and the cultural norms around masculinity. These influences can be extremely harmful to male survivors' healing.
Addressing the misconceptions and stereotypes that have served to silence male survivors, both within our…
In our industry as Managers, Supervisors and Executive Directors there are a plethora of gifting's that are bestowed to us in how we serve, advocate and add value to our organizations and or coalitions. In order to serve with due diligence we have to be willing to strive towards working as experts on a mission to eliminate any and all forms of oppression that serves to corrode and undermine the work of the anti-sexual violence movement.
The main form of oppression tends to rear its…
Faith communities can be both a place of healing and a place of pain for survivors. As is true with all institutions, there are structures and practices that can both protect and harm individuals.
It is important to emphasize that specific religions do not cause abuse to happen; rather we must examine the ways in which people play a part in creating an environment of silence within religious institutions. Silence becomes embedded in the organizational practices of institutions but…
It is important to understand that immigration in the United States dates back longer than the current immigration discussions that we currently see on the news, or read about on social media. Often Immigrants and Refugees are compartmentalized in being labeled one in the same. Here is a quick breakdown:
