February 24, 2022
We are excited to share that today, the Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee unanimously moved to the floor with a do pass recommendation Senate Bill 1332 amending existing law to provide for confidential relations and communications for employees and volunteers at a domestic or sexual violence program in certain instances. Senator Melissa Wintrow is the sponsor of this important bill with the support and legal analysis from the Idaho Coalition consultant, Annie Hightower. David Claiborne and Katie Vandenberg-Van Vliet, of Sawtooth Law Firm, were also instrumental in brining this issue forward and coming to language agreeable to a range of stakeholders.
Time Sensitive Requests:
1. Please email the Senate committee at sjud@senate.idaho.gov and express your appreciation that the committee unanimously moved to the floor with a do pass recommendation Senate Bill 1332 and how important this bill is for the advocates in your programs to maintain survivor’s safety, privacy, and trust of those seeking services. If you have time, please email the Senator in your district that served on the committee.
2. Email the Senators from your districts and express your appreciation that the Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee unanimously moved to the floor with a do pass recommendation Senate Bill 1332 and how important this bill is for the advocates in your programs to maintain survivor’s safety, privacy, and trust of those seeking services. You can search your legislator here: https://legislature.idaho.gov/legislators/contactlegislators/.
Talking points on why advocate confidentiality statute is necessary?
Thank you,
Kelly and Annie
Kelly Miller
kelly@engagingvoices.org
As Spring starts to emerge, members of the Idaho Coalition staff are preparing to travel across the state to visit Idaho dv/sa programs. We are excited to get to know program staff and gain a better understanding of what each program offers survivors in our state. Over the next year, we would also like to give Directors and program staff an opportunity to share all of the amazing work they do in their communities.
First up is an update from Kim Deugan, Executive Director at Advocates Against Family Violence located in Caldwell.
Advocates Against Family Violence Program Update 
Where to begin! The last two years have been full of many changes here at AAFV. We have been extremely fortunate to have maintained all programs and classes throughout these unseemly times. We had to get real techno-savvy and implement on-line availability, which was very challenging, to say the least.
Our Outreach program has been offering healthy relationship workshops, prevention education, and youth advocacy for the past 11 years now. We are back in the schools addressing the needs of 5,171 individual teens in schools, the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council as well as SW Juvenile Detention Center in 2021.
Our shelter, Hope’s Door, has been able to maintain full operation throughout the past two years. We are now preparing to remodel our west wing. This was made feasible through funding with IHFA. We are set to begin construction this next month, allowing for a pandemic-specific wing to the facility.
Last but not least – we began construction on Phase 3 of HOPE Plaza Apartments last month. The walls are going up fast and we are set to have the units available to rent by November of this year. This will provide 110 units of affordable housing on our campus.
Our hearts remain heavy for the epidemic proportions of abuse and violence the prevail in our communities
throughout the State. But we know with programs throughout the state continuing to stand in solidarity with survivors, we can make the difference so desperately needed in the lives of survivors.
Kim Deugan, Executive Director
Advocates Against Family Violence
Announcement: 2022 Idaho Youth for Change Mini-Grants!
The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence is searching for bold, creative young people to co-create solutions to sexual violence in Idaho. 
Focusing on young people from communities most impacted by violence, we seek to provide community-level funding for projects and initiatives created and led by young people between 15 and 20 years old and supported by adult mentors and allies.
We will provide mini-grant awards up to $1,500 to young people in partnership with adults, who have a strong passion for ending sexual violence in their schools and communities. The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence will provide guidance for funded projects and work to create a community of support for each project to learn from others.
If you are connected to young people in your community who you want to support, please pass this opportunity along. Or if you are interested in engaging young people, please reach out to us and we are happy to support you. Anyone interested in the Idaho Youth for Change Mini-Grants just needs to send an email to bryan@engagingvoices.org by April 15th with “Mini-Grants” in the subject line and the names of who is involved in the project. We will provide additional support for the application process once we are connected. We will reach out to all of our member programs with more details, but feel free to spread the word now!
For more information please contact:
Bryan Lyda
Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence
bryan@engagingvoices.org(208) 284-1622
Bryan Lyda
bryan@engagingvoices.org
Three Things to reach out to me for:
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Challenge| February 1- February 28, 2022, All Day
Starting February 1, teens and youth are invited to submit any art form answering the question “What are the qualities of a healthy relationship?” Post your submission on social media by February 28 and tag @NativeLoveIs or email nativelove@niwrc.org with your submission for a chance to win a prize pack from NativeLove and NIWRC! Learn more here!
NNEDV’s New Teens & Tech Resources for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
In February we recognize Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM), by focusing our attention on raising awareness about the violence teens experience within intimate relationships. Studies say that 1 in 3 high school students will experience some form of dating violence or abuse. As teens are navigating the complexities of the pandemic, remote learning and adolescent development, many are also experiencing and witnessing online abuse.
In recognition of TDVAM and the significant intersection of technology and teen dating violence, the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence is excited to release three new resources to help parents, people who work with youth, and teens understand and address technology abuse. The new handouts were created in partnership with Tonjie Reese of eleven24, a teen violence prevention program dedicated to reducing the prevalence of relationship abuse and sexual violence through media literacy and identity affirmation.
Human Trafficking: The Pathways to Prevention| February 28, 2022| 10:30am-12:00pm MT
Join the Administration for Children & Families Office on Trafficking in Persons for a conversation with experts from the African American and Bi-racial community, “Human Trafficking: The Pathways to Prevention.” This webinar will be a conversation on personal reflections on gaps in service provision, challenges, as well as what’s going right for victims and survivors or color. Register Here!
We changed the way we work to end violence in our Indigenous communities in the face of a dire pandemic. We learned to advocate policy, create awareness, and search for our loved ones despite insurmountable circumstances and with virtual restrictions.
Those of you who joined us for the virtual MMIWP conference in October, we have deep gratitude for you. We call on you to attend in-person the Next Steps Conference on Missing & Murdered Indigenous People. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe STOP Violence invites you to this working conference to move our collective vision forward. We are scholars, advocates, educators, law enforcement officers, attorneys, justices, and so much more. The sum of our collective efforts is the much needed pivot in our work to end violence in Indian country.
Introducing: A Tribal Safe Housing Center| Wednesday, March 2, 2022| 1:00-2:30pm MT
The newly established Tribal Safe Housing Center was created to address the intersection of housing instability/homelessness and domestic violence. We invite you to our launch webinar to learn more about the Center and the existing work group, our approach to the work, upcoming events and activities, meet our staff, find out how you can engage in the work of the Center and request training and technical assistance, and hear from our partners and funders. We look forward to sharing space with you as we work towards our vision of “Safe Housing for All Our Relatives.”
Congressional Virtual Roundtable on Reinventing Interventions for Abusive Partners |Wednesday, March 2, 2022
1:00-2:00pm MT
Futures Without Violence presents: Reinventing Interventions for Abusive Partners: In the last 10 years, there have been significant developments in research, practice, and policy in abusive partner intervention (API), also known as battering intervention (BI). In this roundtable, the following national experts will present and answer questions on the state of the field in interventions with people who use intimate partner violence (IPV). Register here!
What is Systemic Racism?| 8-part Video Series
Race Forward presents, “What Is Systemic Racism?” an 8-part video series that shows how racism shows up in our lives across institutions and society: Wealth Gap, Employment, Housing Discrimination, Government Surveillance, Incarceration, Drug Arrests, Immigration Arrests, Infant Mortality… yes, systemic racism is really a thing. View the series here!
Reminder that shipping for all material orders made by Programs on the Idaho Coalition website store is FREE of cost, please use the below coupon for all orders.
Visit the online store to view current Idaho Coalition materials available for order. For store questions, please contact Amy York.
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