Prevention

In this webinar we will explore using the bystander approach of sexual violence prevention with marginalized communities. Participants will expand their knowledge of the LGBTQ community, learn the basic principles of bystander intervention, and finally, using the LGBTQ population as an example, will practice customizing bystander intervention programs to the populations we work with. Though most bystander intervention programs in existence are geared towards college or university students,…

The bystander approach is a promising approach to sexual violence prevention as it encourages the community to take ownership of sexual violence as a problem and speak up when they witness potentially dangerous situations or sexist language. Other benefits of this approach include reducing victim blaming, includes everyone (gets men involved in a community issue, not a women's issue), and gives the community an opportunity it foster social change. Even so, it can be intimidating to become an…

Healthy sexuality is an important component of preventing sexual violence. Therefore there are several resources that can be incorporated into prevention programs. We know that it is important to deliver prevention programming that is socio-culturally relevant and developmental appropriate. So when working with youth or adults with developmental or cognitive disabilities, finding resources that are tailored to this community may be helpful.

Here are three curricula that focus on…

We've all heard the phrase "break the silence" and it has been an important part of raising awareness of sexual violence and giving survivors a chance to speak out. We must remember that if sexual violence occurs on a continuum then our prevention efforts must also. Taking a stand against gender-based street harassment is a good opportunity to reinforce the message that we are working to create social change and live in a world free of language, attitudes, and actions that support sexual…

It's almost back to school time so let's really talk about what we can do to help protect youth from some of the dangers associated with sexting.

Let's Talk Data

Check out the report Interdisciplinary Responses to Youth Sexting: Recommendations from the Youth Online Safety Working Group (YOSWG), which synthesizes current research findings and gives recommendations to respond and prevent to sexting as…

There's a lot of prevention work happening all over the place. There's lots of ways to get "plugged in" to find out what is being done out there.

Google News Alerts

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I suggest a couple generic phrases like "sexual violence prevention" and "sexual assault…

This documentary is an adaptation of Jessica Valenti's 2009 bestselling book "The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women." The documentary, which Valenti co-wrote the documentary with director Jeremy Earp, brings to life her argument by allowing the audience to see the pop-culture examples of the American media's problematical portrayal of women's sexuality.

The book and documentary both build upon Valenti's concept of the "purity myth," which she…

Twitter is a social networking tool that allows people to share short messages instantly. Messages are called Tweets and must be equal to or less than 140 characters. You can easily share information and see what others share.

Read Twitter 101 to get started!

Using Twitter

It's up to each…

Prevention work can be rewarding but also challenging. We want to help to facilitate positive social change within our communities but sometimes we run into obstacles or aren't sure we're making an impact. How can we stay motivated to do this work?

Feel enthused, refreshed, and appreciated!

Talk to other prevention folks!

Fight isolation by building relationships with others working to end sexual violence. Chat about…

It's no wonder that many of us spend time working to prevent sexual violence with children and young people. Since the goal is to prevent first-time victimization and perpetration of sexual violence, we need to start giving tools and changing norms early on. Of course we also know that prevention work needs to span individuals, communities, and society and those social change efforts need to continue over the life span.

Young people are immersed in youth culture and can offer…

Ending sexual violence in our communities takes all of us. Involving boys and men in our prevention work can benefit the prevention field, men, and the community. Here are a few considerations and resources to use when engaging men in prevention.

Why engage men in prevention?

These are just a few reasons — challenge yourself to come up with more & then put them to action!

• While the majority of sexual violence is committed by men…

Inside parents can find out about healthy sexual development for children, why it is important to talk to children about sexuality, and tips for having these conversations. It's a great way to get the conversation started!

PDF download:

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We know that our community members receive a lot of information about health, wellness, safety, and other public health issues. How do we make our message about the importance of sexual violence prevention really stick? How do we motivate them to choose the healthy, non-violent attitudes and behaviors? The way in which we convey our messages in person, through resource materials, and with media are all important.

Communication that leads to action

There are many approaches…

Besides having fun, kids are trying to figure out how to make their way through the social environment and feel accepted. It is our role to help create a change in the social environment that makes it "uncool" to use violence and ultimately to be a bully.

Enhance bullying prevention programs in schools and community organizations:

• Create environments free from violence and hostility in which kids feel safe and can trust adults.…

In this issue of "Partners in Social Change" we examine what it looks like to engage men in sexual violence prevention. Much of the work we do focuses on how communities can prevent sexual violence; therefore this issue seeks to examine men as a community that has the potential to help create social change. The notion that men need to be involved in ending gender-based violence is not new by any means, but we want to take a look at how we can genuinely involve men as part of a movement that…

This webinar will incorporate the positive aspects of sexuality education into a sexual violence prevention framework. If we’re working to prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence, we must simultaneously promote healthy sexual interactions. This webinar will address a sex-positive approach to violence prevention, provide a model workshop outline, and explore the challenges of this approach.

Prevention programming is happening in communities across Washington in a variety of settings. However, it's hard to deny that schools are not a very popular place to deliver these messages. And for good reason, that's where the kids are. That's where our future goes to figure out what kind of world we'll all be living in tomorrow.

For this issue of the PISC, we are talking about schools. We take a look at the laws about what schools must offer, we provide ideas and resources about…

Executive Summary

In 1997, Washington State developed its first sexual violence prevention plan. The plan focused on changing the conditions that cause sexual violence. In 2008, the state began the process of revising the plan. Like the 1997 plan, this new plan emphasizes meaningful change rather than symptoms. Both plans view community development as a lever for change.

The Washington State Department of Health and the…

This issue of Partners in Social Change explores current prevention strategies in our state and delves into community development as a primary prevention strategy. Additionally, it discusses educational presentation efficacy.

Around the state of Washington we are working to promote social change by encouraging communities to take an active role in identifying the root causes to sexual violence in their community and taking steps to address these conditions. In this issue of Partners in Social Change are articles on community development, logic models and the statewide prevention planning meetings.

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In this issue of Partners in Social Change (PISC) are articles on two public health methods that are useful for re-evaluating and goal setting — Needs and Resources Assessment and Outcome Evaluation. Both methods are valuable to prevention planning, however they are also the two methods most often bypassed due to lack of knowledge, funding, time, and other resources.

Despite these limitations, it is important for us to be familiar with them and to creatively think of ways to…

The theme for this issue is "integration" — integration of direction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, integration of lessons learned from the field and integration of promising practices. When we weave together these elements with our current prevention strategies, we begin to create best-practice sexual violence prevention plans for our local communities.

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This issue of "Connections" presents relevant information and dialogue on the parallels of racism and a rape culture for those of us who work in the anti-rape community and who advocate on behalf of victims and survivors.

It is important that we break the silence and begin and continue dialoguing about these parallels to ensure that we continue to strengthen and cultivate a path that leads to social change and social justice.

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This issue of "Partners in Social Change" explores the ecological model of health behavior. As the word "ecological" implies, this structural model explores the relationship between human behavior and the environment. The beauty of the model lies in its assertion that our natural environment includes not only our corporeal surroundings, but also social and cultural forces, making the model particularly useful in program planning. It gives us a systematic approach to determine the appropriate…

This issue of "Partners in Social Change" is intended to provide an overview of public health theory that is relevant for anti-rape advocates, and to provide the inspiration and desire to engage in the collaborative effort.