April 21, 2022
Voices Against Violence was the fourth program Idaho Coalition staff visited in the first round of program visits. The Voices Against Violence staff hosted a potluck lunch and we were able to spend time getting to know each other over food. We are so grateful for our time with Voices Against Violence and are looking forward to our next round of visits. Below is a program update from Voices Against Violence’s Executive Director, Reylene Abbott.
Voices Against Violence Program Update
Voices Against Violence (VAV) as an agency reminds me of a flower bud in Idaho spring. It allows itself room to be tossed by the storm, but always comes back stronger before a full bloom. This year, VAV has undergone many changes in programs and leadership, but our mission remains strong. Covering four counties, together we provide more than 20 free services to over 20 different victimizations.
We focus on safety, healing, and self-determination through various programs including: 90 day shelter stay, rental assistance, food/personal care boxes, 24/7 access line, counseling, case management, and much more. From July 2021- February 2022 we were able to serve more than 700 individuals. This month, we would like to celebrate our housing/rental assistance program. While the housing market continuously tosses us challenges, we are able to find clients housing 18 percent faster this year.
We recognize it takes an entire community and are so thankful for partners like all of you who jump in, offer advice, and collaborate with us to ensure mutual clients have everything they need. Let us always remember how resilient flower buds are right before they take full bloom.
Reylene Abbott
Executive Director
For more information Voices Against Violence visit the program website.
ValorUS (VALOR) leads with prevention of sexual violence. For 2022 Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), they released a free toolkit to empower you to lead your own community. With the theme of “Collective Action for Equity,” these resources support you to spread the message of prevention of sexual violence.
VALOR has provided a facilitation guide and accompanying customizable slides for a workshop “It Impacts All of Us” that you can provide in your community during SAAM or any other time of the year. The SAAM Toolkit also includes graphics for social media.
Download the toolkit in English / Descargue el Equipo de Herramientas en Español
We are honoring Earth Day this April 22nd. The Idaho Coalition believes that keeping Earth safe is keeping all of us safe(r), and we continue to draw connections between the violence we witness against the land & violence against girls, women, and gender-oppressed people. Changemakers have built a praxis between environmentalism & feminism—even in the times of prolonged chaos that we’ve experienced through the COVID pandemic.
“As activists make visible the shadow pandemic of violence against women, they are also looking at the impact of environmental destruction on women and communities, and the link to future pandemics. Women, who make up the majority of the world’s poor, are largely more dependent on natural resources, placing them at the front lines of climate change, with less economic resources to combat its impact.” To learn more about Earth Day—and to finish reading about activists who led their communities last year to rise up against violence against Earth & women—click here.
This week, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) announced the 29 recipients of this year’s Visionary Voice Awards. These honorees represent a wide range of disciplines from across the country and were selected for their outstanding work toward preventing sexual harassment, misconduct and abuse. “We’re so honored to recognize these remarkable individuals and groups who are committed to creating a safer world for everyone,” said NSVRC Executive Director Yolanda Edrington. “Each of this year’s honorees personifies what it means to be a visionary voice through their service to survivors and their communities.”
Rachel Davis, from the YWCA of Lewiston, is one of this year’s nationally-recognized Award winners. The Idaho Coalition was proud to nominate Davis, and we are now proud to celebrate this accomplishment! To learn more about Rachel Davis, other recipients, and the Visionary Voice Awards, click here.
Providing Accessible and Effective Services to Survivors of Sexual Assault with Disabilities
April 26th | 12 – 1:30 MT | 11 – 12:30 PT
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and in support of survivors everywhere, we are dedicating this month’s End Abuse of People with Disabilities webinar to lifting up promising practices for serving survivors with disabilities. Featuring a panel comprised of a survivor with a disability, a national expert, and a local advocate, this webinar will explore the unique barriers that people with disabilities have to navigate when seeking healing and the strategies that advocates can employ to proactively remove those barriers. The panelists will provide practical guidance from their own experience that will help you ensure that survivors with disabilities feel respected and supported within your programs.
Join panelists, Cathy Saunders, Self-Advocate with Illinois Imagines, Cierra Olivia Thomas-Williams, Prevention Specialist at Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Heidi Sue LeBoeuf, Counseling Director at Pathways For Change, and facilitator Sandra Harrell, Associate Director, Center on Victimization and Safety for this discussion.
Next Steps Conference on Missing & Murdered Indigenous People
May 4th – 5th | Worley, ID
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.
For more information or to get tickets to this event visit the MMIP Event page on Facebook.
Building a Foundation for Prevention | 2-part Podcast Series
This podcast is an excerpt from PreventConnect’s January 2022 web conference “Building a Foundation for Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Prevention,” where PreventConnect staff tell the story of prevention through metaphors and analogies, without all the technical jargon. View Part 1 of the series 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!
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