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NSVRC Blogs by Sally Laskey


Sally J. Laskey is the Evaluation Coordinator for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Sally is a Community Psychologist with over 30 years in the violence prevention and victim services field. She believes in the power of evaluation to tell positive prevention stories.

We have talked about how to use evaluation for good, but we want to expand that conversation to talk about how evaluation, if approached through a social justice lens, can help to build community. First, let’s think about why folks evaluate their programs in the first place.

As we reflect on the #SAAM2024 theme, we recognize that to build connected communities we must work in solidarity with others. Here is a sneak peek at data from NSVRC’s 2024 National Strengths and Needs Assessment.

We are continuing to explore lessons learned by participants from our effective data visualization training series we conducted with Dr. Stephanie Evergreen. I interviewed a few training participants to hear about how their data storytelling has shifted and the larger impacts they’ve experienced.

I had the opportunity to connect with Erin Chambers, Visual Communications Designer from the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence (MOCADSV) to learn how data storytelling is evolving for state coalition staff.

When the pandemic hit and we weren’t able to meet in person like we usually do with our Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) partners, we realized we needed a new plan.  Part of the new plan included a fantastic partnership with Dr. Stephanie Evergreen to conduct a series of virtual trainings on effective data visualization. These trainings have forever changed the way we tell our prevention stories.

The first movie I saw in a movie theater was Star Wars. I was five and couldn’t hold the seat down. My favorite book series as a pre-teen was Madeleine L'Engle’s Time Quintet. I took extra science classes in high school and I might have been the only person in my Science, Technology, and Ethics class in college that actually enjoyed the required readings. I dressed up as Trinity from The Matrix more than once.

This blog provides a historical look at the uses of research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how it sparked new research on resilience and protective factors for youth. 

On this episode, we talk with Dr. Victoria Banyard and Robin P. Christopherson about a research project to evaluate Green Dot Community.

Learn more about the 2020 census and how data is used to determine representation and funding for local support services.

Register for a free, introductory webinar about Principles-Focused Evaluation on March 26!

We spoke with researcher Rose Hennessey about how to measure bystander intervention.