Prevention

While we do have an emerging evidence base for effective prevention programs, it is still relatively limited and may not be appropriate for the community you are working with. Sometimes we hear that a research evidence-base is the most important factor in programming. However here in Washington State, and many other places too, we also prioritize community specific, community-driven prevention initiatives and these do not always have an evidence-base established. This tip shares resources to…

"Making Out Like a Virgin: Sex, Desire, and Intimacy After Sexual Trauma" is a collection of essays by survivors who have experienced many different kinds of sexual violence. This book fills an important gap in literature by and for survivors about healing from sexual violence across the lifespan.

Many of the essays explore the experiences survivors have with their sexuality decades after the assault. The authors write about sexuality from a variety of perspectives including essays…

The purpose of this tip is to help begin social justice conversations with kids (ages 10+) in the context of the film “Zootopia”. Often when looking for teaching tools to discuss social justice and violence, we go to educationally produced media. While these are often more intentional with their message, there is also a lot to be gained from utilizing pop-culture media. Although the film Zootopia remains true to the standard storytelling of Disney with the purpose of a feel good entertaining…

Washington State has 37 accredited community based advocacy agencies serving each county, as well as many community based by and for community specific advocacy agencies. Some counties also have system based advocacy; many ask why have both and what are the differences? It is crucial for system partners, advocates and communities to understand the importance of the differences, and it is our role as community based sexual assault advocacy agencies to be able to clearly communicate this to…

Many young people feel being pressured into having sex or participating in a sexual act before one feels entirely ready is a normal part of growing up; this is especially true if they have received little to no healthy relationship and sex education. However, we know this is a form of sexual violence and advocates working with youth have a unique opportunity to debunk this myth. Every person has complete control over their body and choice with whom and when they decide to hug, kiss, have sex…

Diversity, non-discrimination, cultural competency, anti-oppression, & social justice are not synonyms — they are not words that replace one another, nor are they words that connote the same meaning or the same type of interaction.

As advocates and preventionists, it is vital that we take into account power relations and oppression. Advocating on behalf of survivors and being an ally includes thinking about services, survivors, and yourself in terms of diversity, non-…

For many of us music can have an important and influential role in our lives. It's more than just a means of enjoyment though, it can also be a platform for communicating social norms. That's why a lot of prevention efforts include media literacy skills. As preventionists, one of our biggest roles is to facilitate meaningful conversations that will help lead communities towards prevention that is personal and more likely to be effective. Therefore before diving right into the fun of…

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a form of child sexual abuse. It is sexual activity involving a minor in exchange for something of value, or promise thereof, to the child or another person or persons. The young person is treated as a commercial and sexual object.

Often when schools and communities request a CSEC program this is connected to increased media attention of CSEC or in response to a recent incident. Programming that defines the violence and focuses on…

This tip is about consent-now I know you might be thinking, again? But hear me out.

Yes, consent is a fairly common topic area in sexual assault prevention, and there are good reasons for that. Far too often though we come up with reasons why we CANNOT teach consent. Things like the kids I'm working with are too young for that, or the school doesn't let us talk about sex. And this is why this Tip is about consent... without sex.

It's About So Much More

A recent…

Advocates come from all walks of life and advocate for a variety of purposes; but the purpose of these training materials is to provide information and support for advocates who work with residents of long-term care, specifically, long-term care ombuds, sexual assault program advocates, or disability advocates.

Building advocacy where disability, sexual violence and long-term care meet is nuanced and important. The intention of this booklet is to assist in the development of…

The Office of Crime Victim's Advocacy (OCVA) has developed one service standard for prevention work conducted under the Community Sexual Assault Programs Core Services, Marginalized and Native American Communities, and the RPE program. This Primary Prevention Standard outlines the goal of the standard, eligible activities, participants, and the training required for participating staff. This is current for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year.

…

In our work to end sexual violence, sometimes best practices in prevention and what communities want to hear about (i.e. awareness and education) are not the same thing. Large school assemblies and tips for staying safe at parties are often welcomed by our communities — these make them feel safe and don't ask too much of them. With limited resources to do our prevention work, it is important that we are able to distinguish between primary prevention and awareness or risk reduction activities…

Without My Consent, a nonprofit organization that seeks to combat online invasion of privacy and empower individuals to stand up for their privacy rights, recently released the findings of its survey about online harassment. Although this survey focused on online harassment in general, a large focus of the organization's work is nonconsensual pornography, sometimes referred to as "revenge porn."

Without My Consent's definition of this…

In this webinar, participants will learn how to boost and sustain their prevention work by connecting and integrating with existing sexual health education efforts. Violence preventionists can make the most of current national research, the Washington Healthy Youth Act, and Washington Department of Health Guidelines. We will discuss best practices related to STD and teen pregnancy prevention and sexual violence prevention. Preventionists will leave this webinar being able to make the case…

These flags give youth and adults the opportunity to start conversations about consent!

This interactive tool allows people to think about the spectrum of verbal and non-verbal ways consent and non-consent is communicated. Additionally, this activity goes beyond just defining consent and asks participants to apply the concept of complex consent. This process makes them put consent in their own words and terms which in turn makes it more likely to be realistic and therefore applied in…

An unpublished report based on a Department of Justice study titled "Preventing Revictimization in Teen Dating Relationships" has just been released, and contains some thought-provoking results. The study was conducted under the direction of Dr. Anne P. DePrince of the Traumatic Stress Studies Group of the University of Denver. Briefly, they conducted research with high-risk adolescent girls involved in the child welfare system, with the goal of preventing revictimization. They tested two…

We've spent a lot of time figuring out what the spectrum of sexual violence looks like, but do we have concrete ideas about what the alternative is? Healthy sexuality is a complex and nuanced subject area that allows us to explore the positive, healthy, fulfilling, and violence-free expressions of sexuality.

Infusing healthy sexuality messaging into your work will likely require preparation. Do you know why healthy sexuality is an integral part of our prevention work? How can you…

We know that young people are digital natives — they have grown up in a world where technology is incorporated into their lives. So what does this mean for prevention work? In this webinar we will highlight research dealing with youth and technology, examine some common statistics regarding youth safety online, and present various methods of incorporating digital safety into primary prevention work.

Posters campaigns can be a great way to raise awareness and when used in conjunction with other activities may be part of a more comprehensive prevention project. Here are some examples of poster campaigns that are either pro-active about stopping sexual & dating violence or promote positive messaging and environments.

The Red Flag Campaign

• Designed by the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance for college campuses. The poster…

Statistics can help people who are not familiar with an issue to understand it better. In the case of statistics about sexual violence, they can help community members, allied professional partners, and funders understand

1. how big the problem is,
2. how sexual violence impacts society as a whole rather than just individuals and families,
3. and why sexual assault advocates are necessary.

It is important to use statistics correctly…

Foshee, V. et all (2012). Journal of Adolescent Health.

Often when we think about teen dating abuse prevention programs, we think of programs delivered in a school setting. Moreover, we may even think specifically of the curriculum Safe Dates, as it is one of the only evidence-based teen dating abuse prevention curricula. However, the Families for Safe Dates program combined components of the Safe Dates curriculum with additional activities and presents them in a very new format: at…

Sometimes we use a myths/facts approach in community education. Is it useful? Not really.

Take this example from a flyer from the Centers for Disease Control.

Myth:

The flu shot can cause the flu.

Fact:

The flu shot cannot cause the flu. Some people get a little soreness or redness where they get the shot.

Researchers read the flyer to people, and got some surprising results. Within 30 minutes, older people remembered about a…

Prevention requires building lasting, meaningful relationships with your community. The below list, taken from Community Building: What Makes It Work, describes some of the key skills required in facilitators.

Understanding the Community

Successful community building efforts tend to have organizers who have a thorough understanding of the culture, social structure, demographics, political structure, and issues in the community.

Sincerity…

Tell a prevention story.

We are trying to prevent a social problem: sexual violence is epidemic. Since we are tackling such a large issue, our efforts can draw disagreements or resistance. It is easy to fall into the argument trap, and try to fight fire with fire. After all, if they only understood, how could they possibly disagree?

Statistics are a natural thing to reach for when justifying arguments or preparing presentations. For you and me, statistics might tell a rich…

Sitting through a presentation or training can be difficult, but every now and then there is one that just works. You are excited, engaged, and alert! You care! You want to be there!

What separates the wheat from the chaff? What made that training matter to you? If it mattered to others in the room as well, it is very likely the trainer's methods were informed by understanding adult learning styles.

Adults have specific needs around learning. We want to know what is in it for…