You Too Can be a Leader in Primary Sexual Violence Prevention

(Even in a Rural State!)

Tiffany Eskelson-MaestasResource Development Specialist

Jody Mayer, MASexual Violence Prevention Specialist

Rape Prevention and Education Grantee MeetingChicago, Illinois August 21, 2012

Learning Objectives

By the end of this training:• You will have received strategies that

maximize the cohesiveness between local and statewide PSVP work.

• You will be able to identify strategies that expand PSVP leadership locally and statewide.

What does statewide primary sexual violence prevention (PSVP)

work mean in your world?

What does partnering look like with that work?

Can you relate?*• “We just can’t get folks engaged.”• “We really have some great people engaged, but they are

doing all the work on the team.”• “They were jazzed when we started, but now I can’t keep

them engaged.”• “Everyone is just so busy!”• “We are only asking you to volunteer for couple of activities

throughout the year.”• “We’ve provided training on PSVP and we keep them

updated, but folks still aren’t participating.”

* Not only as facilitating a team but as a team member?

Why we focus on state efforts:

• We understand that:– A statewide approach based in collective diversity

can influence and support mass change of underlying conditions that is in-line with community-based prevention strategies.

– Comprehensive primary prevention programs in communities are maximized by building statewide awareness of programming with respect to community and population-based relevance.

Why we focus on state efforts:

• We also understand that:– Communities can identify and solve their own problems,

and the statewide approach provides knowledge on the magnitude of the problem, collective statewide strategies, and skill building opportunities to change the underlying conditions.

– Statewide members need to take ownership of the issue, which will also build investment in seeing the issue solved.

– A statewide approach is most successful when it relies on local investment and strategies for other meaningful work to change underlying conditions.

The big picture.The vary nature of sexual violence is intimate and personal, devastating and destructive, shameful and embarrassing, and generally the victim is in partial or in whole to blame for what

another person has inflicted upon them.

The ability for people to address sexual violence in their communities and across the state, either in responding to or in prevention of, is

a tribute to a belief that sexual violence is wrong, that there is hope in healing and justice, and that it can be prevented. Given

this, it is critical for members of a statewide Council that addresses primary sexual violence prevention to connect themselves to

their role in leading this work in Wyoming.

This isn’t a task, this is a movement.

Strategies for our statewide efforts:

• Wyoming Sexual Violence Prevention Council– Did we know what we were doing before we knew what we

were doing?– Membership Orientation– “Being a Leader in Primary Sexual Violence Prevention”

Leadership Series– How can we plan success for our Council membership that is

in-line with why we focus on state efforts?

* Always keeping in mind, how do we keep bridging that gap between local and state work?

So…did we know?• PREVENT Institute: Developing Leaders in Violence Prevention.

– Wyoming Prevent Team (WPT), 2005.

• Sexual Violence Prevention Strategic Planning Committee, we all had one right?– Comprehensive Needs Assessment of SV in Wyo, 2008.– Statewide Community Readiness Assessment– And, THE State Plan.

• Time of Transition.– RPE Contract– WPT + Strategic Planning Committee = Wyoming Sexual Violence

Prevention Council

We sorta knew what we were doing…but addressed immediate concerns first.

• Continued work on the State Plan; including subcommittees.

• Being meaningful about a transparent process in the Council setting. (“Why aren’t you engaged?” “Instead of us asking ‘can you do…’, tell us what your time commitment is.” “It is okay to resign from the Council.”)

• WSVPC Steering Committee developed a leadership series.

• Engaging new members for WSVPC through current membership.

WSVPC Membership Orientation• Member Handbook; background, council forms,

leadership series, data, resources.• WSVPC Member Document “Box” Folder– WSVPC Resources:

https://wcadvsa.box.com/s/93f96d0f33e3e3de3c31• Mentors• Journals• Brown-Bag-Webinar Series by the WSVPC Steering

Committee– Member Orientation: An Introduction to the WSVPC Member

Handbook– Member Orientation: PSVP 101– Being a Leader in PSVP, Leadership Series

Being a Leader in PSVPLeadership Series

Collaborative Leadership• Identify common interests of Council members through the Council’s

mission statement.• Identify personal goals and diverse approaches in connection to the

Council’s mission.

Innovation through Creativity• Discuss what creativity and innovation means in relation to PSVP.• Begin to identify one’s own creativity and how to develop it and/or use

it to be a breakthrough leader.

Functional Teams• Identify areas of team process that can undermine the members

personal goals and the Council’s collaborative approach to the mission.

Collaborative Leadership

What we did:• Defined collaborative leadership.• Connected to the bigger picture– Individual beliefs and as related to approaching the

mission.– Common interests among members and as related

to approaching the mission.• This is our work as a Council, our collaboration.

Innovation through Creativity

What we did:• Defined creativity and innovation in relation to self,

and in relation to being collaborative leaders in PSVP.• Discussed a shared meaning for the PSVP work; all

change begins with a change in meaning.• Began thinking about being breakthrough leaders for

PSVP.• Being committed to the paradigm shift through our

collaborative leadership and innovative strategies.

Functional Teams

What we did:• Discussed Council members’ “pet peeves” and

core values for teams.• Identified characteristics of successful

cohesive teams, core values of functional teams, and elements of a functional team.

• Discussed how this relates to PSVP leadership and the Council’s mission.

Continuing to Plan for Success

• What are some statewide strategies that have worked for you?

• Other training topics identified by WSVPC members.

• Meaningful process for member mentoring:– Making the State Plan mean more to members.– More on data.– Providing more of a connection to local work,

including pilot communities.

Why do you focus on local efforts for primary sexual violence

prevention?

Why we focus on local efforts:

• We understand that:– Communities can identify and solve their own

problems when given the knowledge and skills to be able to do so.

– When community members take ownership of an issue, they also build investment in seeing the issue solved.

– When a community is invested in addressing its own problems, the issues acted upon are certain to be the ones most relevant to the community.

Furthermore…

“Community-based initiatives are not initiatives that involve the community carrying out your

pre-determined set of objectives for sexual violence prevention. Community partners

must have decision making capabilities within the coalition and must be given

responsibilities.”

Curtis, M.J. A Guidebook for Individuals and Organizations Engaging in Collaborative Prevention Work

What challenges do you face in working locally?

FAIRNESS IS THE FINAL RESULT OF YEARS OF EFFECTIVE EFFORT

COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF DIVERSITY.

Strategies for our local efforts:

• Engage Diverse Community Stakeholders – An honor to participate– Not just another meeting on their calendar– Bring it home• Community Readiness Assessments

*can often feel like the most difficult task for local efforts

Community Readiness Assessment

• Empowers communities to define issues and strategies in their own cultural contexts– local experts, local resources, local cultural values, etc.

• Tool for building cooperation among systems and individuals.

• Increases community capacity for prevention by building awareness and mobilizing action.

The CRA Process

Raise awareness of the issue

Raise awareness & acceptance that issues exists in

their community

Raise awareness that community

can do something

Develop concrete strategies

Gather pertinent information

Provide community specific info

Stabilize efforts Expand and enhance efforts

Maintain momentum and continue growth

Spectrum of PreventionInfluencing Policy Legislation Developing strategies to change laws and

policies to influence outcomes

Changing Organizational Practices Adopting regulations and shaping norms to

improve health and safety

Fostering Coalitions and Networks Bringing together groups and individuals for

broader goals and greater impact

Educating Providers Informing providers who will transmit skills andknowledge to others

Promoting Community Education Reaching groups of people with information and

resources to promote health and safety

Strengthening Individual Knowledge and Skills Enhancing an individual’s capability of preventing injury

or illness and promoting safety

Davis, Fujie Parks, & Cohen, (2006). Sexual violence and the spectrum of prevention: Towards a community solution. Enola, PA: National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Assessing for Leadership Locally

• CRA with community stakeholders– Who are the "leaders" specific to this issue in your

community?– How much of a concern is this issue to the leadership

in your community?– How are these leaders involved in efforts regarding

this issue? (For example: Are they involved in a committee, task force, etc.? How often do they meet?)

– Would the leadership support additional efforts?

Assessing for Leadership Locally

• Pre-survey with communities– In your opinion, who should be responsible for

providing prevention education for sexual violence in your community?

– How do you see yourself contributing to the leadership group?

• Emerging Leaders/ship – Give them permission to be leaders

Ask Important Questions:• Examples:– What are your community values?– What are the strengths and challenges of your

community? (Gets at norms)– Based upon your experiences, knowledge, and

beliefs… what is sexual violence?– Is sexual violence preventable in your community?

*Always ask questions of both the leadership group, and how they believe the target population would respond to the same questions

Allow Leaders to Provide Answers

• How can we use our strengths and resources to overcome our challenges?

• Develop action plan based on CRA scores and responses.– Who, What, When, Where, How Often

Strategies for Local Efforts, cont.• Provide comprehensive (and continuous

opportunities for) education– Capacity building at all levels is KEY

• Resources• Communication– You must be available to them– Transparency – Honesty

Strategies for Local Efforts, cont.• Encourage and Support Collaborations– Connecting with other pilot communities– Share the work load– Connect SV with other issues– How can our partners at the State level work with

us?• Recognize Efforts

In conclusion

• Invest in Leadership• Connect Statewide and Local Work

It’s Worth Your Time and Effort!

Tagxedo.com

ANY QUESTIONS?

Thank you for your participation!

Jody: jmayer@wyomingdvsa.org307-347-2618

Tiffany: te-m@wyomingdvsa.org307-789-8855