The Resource The National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s Newsletter | Spring/Summer 2015 Packed Up & Ready for Change (Cover graphic of a backpack covered in pins for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.) Special section on campus awareness, activism starts on Page 6 Contact Us The National Sexual Violence Resource Center invites your comments: The Resource 123 North Enola Drive, Enola, PA 17025 Toll free: 877-739-3895 Fax: 717-909-0714 TTY: 717-909-0715 Email: resources@nsvrc.org Online: www.nsvrc.org Communications Department Tracy Cox, Communications Director Mallory Gricoskie, Communications Specialist, Editor of The Resource Laura Palumbo, Prevention Campaign Specialist LEADERSHIP Delilah Rumburg, CEO Karen Baker, NSVRC Director Advisory Council Peggy Brown, Juneau, AK Susan Chasson, Provo, UT Maia Christopher, Beaverton, OR Nancy Hoffman, Fairmont, WV Keith L. Kaufman, Portland, OR Patrick Lemmon, Portland, OR Julie Lindahl, Huntsville, AL Grace S. Mattern, Concord, NH Sarah McMahon, New Brunswick, NJ Strong Oak, Greenfield, MA Holly Ramsey-Klawsnik, Canton, MA Jennifer Rauhouse, Phoenix, AZ Malia Richmond-Crum, Atlanta, GA Delilah Rumburg, Enola, PA Rebecca Ward, San Juan, PR Jonathan Yglesias, Olympia, WA Ellen Yin-Wycoff, Sacramento, CA Mira Yusef, Des Moines, IA This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement #5UF2CE002359-02 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or NSVRC. Find the NSVRC on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest. About the Cover Sexual assault on college campuses has long been in the national spotlight. While we want to prevent sexual violence everywhere, this year has been an opportune time to open the door to new allies by engaging them in conversations around preventing sexual assault on college campuses. This April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month theme was “It’s Time to Act. Safer Campuses. Brighter Futures. Prevent Sexual Violence.” What a strong showing of support it received! A special package of campus-related content within this issue wraps up an amazing month of activism, checks in with one of the award-winning filmmakers of the campus documentary “The Hunting Ground,” reviews coalition readiness for prevention efforts, and more. Read more 6 Director’s Viewpoint: NSVRC had a busy April 7 Campus consortium lets students lead the way 8 Filmmaker Amy Ziering talks ‘The Hunting Ground’ 10 How ready are coalitions to lead campus efforts? 14 Snapshots from Sexual Assault Awareness Month Contents 16 Community Voices We asked, you answered: What motivates you to continue working in anti-sexual violence? 18 Pillars for Prevention New resource on preventing child sexual abuse shows the importance of policy work. 22 Social Media Outreach Further your organization’s mission and spread your message online. 24 Coalition Spotlight Wyoming utilizes a deep sense of community to help further prevention efforts. 26 Snapshots The Time to THRIVE conference unites advocates working toward LGBTQ equality. 30 From the Library Librarian Karen Litterer sees a lot of resources. Here are four she thinks you should know about. (Illustration of two hands holding cellphones, using Twitter and Facebook. Iillustration accompanies article on social media outreach.) Contributors Carolina Alzuru is the Prevention Coordinator for the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Previously, she served as the Rape Prevention Education Coordinator at North Carolina State University. She has been working in the field of domestic and sexual violence since her college days at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received degrees in sociology and psychology. She has specialized in working with Latin@s, immigrants, college students, LGBTQ and rural communities, and in engaging men. Cordelia Anderson has worked to promote sexual health and prevent various types of sexual harm since 1976. In 1992, she founded a prevention consultation business based in Minneapolis, Minn. In 2005, she was founding president of the National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, and currently co-chairs its policy committee. She authored a booklet, Impact of Pornography on Children, Youth and Culture, and Fired Up, a play based on the stories of survivors who performed the production. She has a Master of Arts degree. Cara Courchesne is the Communications Director at the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She focuses her work on changing the dialogue around sexual violence by providing technical assistance to Maine’s sexual assault support centers, media, and statewide partners. She has worked for anti-violence nonprofits in Maine since 2007 and has been part of the anti-sexual violence movement for more than a decade. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in the study of women and gender from Smith College. Mary Lauby has spent more than 35 years in various leadership roles working to end violence against women, domestic violence, and sexual violence, including as an Executive Director of state coalitions for nearly 20 years in Massachusetts and Wisconsin. For 10 years, Lauby oversaw grant making and program development for statewide domestic abuse services as the State Domestic Abuse Program Coordinator for Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services. She established the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life while in Wisconsin, and the Massachusetts White Ribbon Day Campaign while at Jane Doe Inc. Grace Mattern was Executive Director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence for 30 years, and has served on numerous statewide and national boards. Currently President of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center Advisory Council, she is the author of two books of poetry, and has been published widely in journals and blogs. Read her work at www.gracemattern.com.  Jen Przewoznik is a trainer, technical assistance provider, practitioner and program evaluator with more than 15 years of experience working with and within LGBTQ and women’s communities. She is the Director of Prevention and Evaluation at North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, where she provides training and technical assistance to rape crisis centers, college campuses, military communities, and allied professionals who are working on primary prevention. She co-chairs the North Carolina Sexual Violence Prevention Team and chairs the North Carolina Campus Consortium. Jody Sanborn has been a Prevention Specialist with the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault since 2009. She works under Rape Prevention and Education funds to further primary prevention efforts in Wyoming and to facilitate the Wyoming Sexual Violence Prevention Council. Her work focuses on empowering communities for social change through education, collaboration, and mobilization. Joan Tabachnick is nationally recognized for her expertise in sexual violence prevention and social marketing. Over the last 20 years, she has developed award-winning educational materials and innovative programs for national, state and local organizations. Her recent work includes Engaging Bystanders in Sexual Violence Prevention, A Reasoned Approach: The Reshaping of Sex Offender Policy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, and GateKeepers for Kids. She is a Fellow at the Department of Justice, focusing on sexual violence prevention. Write for The Resource Want to see your face here, among contributors of The Resource? Write for a future edition! Email your story idea to resources@nsvrc.org. Special Section Preventing sexual violence on campus Director’s Viewpoint Karen Baker, NSVRC Director Sexual Assault Awareness Month was especially exciting this year. I had the opportunity to see “The Hunting Ground” a couple of times, and I highly recommend it. Filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, who also made “The Invisible War,” have now turned their attention and cameras to documenting accounts of sexual assault on college campuses and the responses, or lack thereof, by college administrators. I thought the documentary was well-done and watchable. I appreciated many things about it, including the drama of the opening scenes, the music, and the diversity of students and colleges featured. It made clear that this is a larger systemic problem that is not unique to any one university. I admired the courage of all the survivors who told their stories on camera, and can’t help but wonder about how things are going for them, especially those who had not yet told their parents that they had been raped. I was especially impressed with two young activists, Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, University of North Carolina graduates who worked tirelessly to figure out how to file Title IX complaints and traveled the country to support other victims. I had the pleasure of meeting them at a screening in Washington, D.C. Although the documentary does not specifically talk about prevention strategies, I thought it did a nice job of illustrating the different systems (fraternity, sports, administration, alumnae) that intentionally conspire to keep sexual assaults from being acknowledged and addressed. That provides us with great opportunities to talk about prevention and specific action steps that various groups can take. NSVRC had the privilege of co-sponsoring (with Women Organized Against Rape and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape) an April 3 special showing of the film’s debut in Philadelphia. More than 1,000 colleges and universities have requested screenings. The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault plans to show “The Hunting Ground” at the National Sexual Assault Conference in September, and CNN plans to air it in the fall. One way or another, I hope everyone gets an opportunity to see it and to engage in important follow-up conversations and actions. Another partnership that made April exciting was working with the White House’s “It’s On Us” campaign, which aims to engage bystanders in positive ways. We are appreciative of that level of unprecedented attention and commitment from the Executive Branch. NSVRC staff participated in and provided resources for many events across the country during April. None was more dramatic than the one that kicked off the month. On the night of April 2, Niagara Falls was illuminated teal in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and was featured on Niagara Parks’ website. In Partnership, Karen L. Baker Interact: What is your favorite memory from Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2015? Email stories and photos to resources@nsvrc.org or tweet them to @NSVRC. ‘From compliance to commitment’ North Carolina coalitions host student-led educator’s summit (Photo: A girl sits at her computer. Caption: Annie E. Clark, shown here in the documentary film “The Hunting Ground,” was one of two keynote speakers.) By Jen Przewoznik and Carolina Alzuru North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault & North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence In October 2014, The North Carolina Campus Consortium hosted the first-ever North Carolina Campus Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Peer Educator’s Summit. The event, co-sponsored by the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., brought together students from about a dozen schools to network with and learn from each other and generate strategies for continued campus advocacy. The event was organized by a student planning committee of 10 student representatives from campuses, as well as the two coalitions. While there were non-student allies present at the event, it was intentionally organized to be a space where students would be in solidarity with one another and feel free to speak openly about the challenges they are facing (some of those being the administration itself) on their respective campuses. The two keynote speakers were Annie E. Clark, one of the lead complainants of the 2013 Title IX charges against University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Dr. Marc Grimmett, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University, counseling psychologist, and co-writer/director of the documentary “My Masculinity Helps.” Clark is featured in the documentary film “The Hunting Ground.” Traditional breakout sessions were largely facilitated by students about the work they are doing to end sexual and intimate partner violence on campus, and included topics such as collaboration and coalition building, media-driven strategies, hosting successful events, and on-campus activism. Something Clark said during her keynote that resonated with many people in the room was about the importance of moving from compliance to commitment. We love that, and we think it speaks more broadly to the work that we do to end sexual and intimate partner violence. If we really want to prevent first-time perpetration in our communities and on college campuses, we need to ask ourselves a lot of hard questions about how we are doing our work and what we could do differently and better. Plans for the next summit include continuing to understand how we can give more decision-making and creative control to students. We intend to recruit student leaders who haven’t necessarily been active in the sexual and intimate partner violence movement. Details Interested in learning more or hosting a similar event? Email questions to Jen Przewoznik at jen@nccasa.org. ‘The Hunting Ground’ Documentary film sheds light on stories of campus sexual assault (Photo: In a still from the documentary film "The Hunting Ground," a girl walks across a bridge at night on a college campus.) By Mallory Gricoskie, National Sexual Violence Resource Center Filmmaker Amy Ziering says it wasn’t difficult to find survivors of campus sexual violence who wanted to tell their stories for her documentary film “The Hunting Ground.” “The sad thing is, there are way too many survivors,” Ziering said by phone. “The Hunting Ground” is the latest from Ziering and Kirby Dick, who teamed up to create 2012’s Oscar-nominated documentary on sexual assaults in the U.S. military, “The Invisible War.” After the release of “The Invisible War,” the filmmakers began to receive letters from college students across the country who urged them to make a documentary about campus sexual assault. Students told them that everything they had heard about campus sexual assault was not only true, but even worse. Much like “The Invisible War,” “The Hunting Ground” amplifies the voices of those who have been affected by sexual violence by allowing them to tell their stories in their own words. This format appears to make an impact on how the message is received by the general public, especially in one particular case. In the film, Erica Kinsman goes public with her story of being sexually assaulted in 2012 by former Florida State University quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston while they both were students at the school. She talks about the mishandling of her case, which never resulted in criminal charges against Winston. Ziering says she has seen a “great difference” in the way filmgoers perceive the story when it is told by Kinsman. After seeing the film, audience members have told Ziering they had previously “just sort of believed the coverage I heard on ESPN,” but the documentary challenged and changed their perspective. Ziering noticed common threads when talking with survivors of campus sexual assault. “They uncannily echoed each other,” she said. Among their similarities: they felt like they were being blamed for their own assaults when they reported, they were not supported, there was harassment and blowback for reporting, the process was extremely complicated, and there were no consequences for the people who caused them harm. If there is one thing viewers take away from “The Hunting Ground,” Ziering hopes it is this: Believe survivors. “If someone is telling you this happened, they are telling the truth,” she said. Ziering says she and Dick might make a third documentary about sexual violence thanks, in part, to the success and impact of their first two films. (Photo: In a still from the documentary film, "The Hunting Ground," A girl walks up the stairs of a building on a college campus. A sign reads, "Welcome Freshmen." Details “The Hunting Ground” premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival. It was released in theaters in February. Learn more or host a screening: thehuntinggroundfilm.com. Interact If you could choose a topic for a documentary film about sexual violence, what would it be and why? Tell us by email at resources@nsvrc.org or on social media. Are coalitions prepared to lead primary prevention, campus-based efforts? By Mary Lauby and Grace Mattern State sexual and domestic violence coalitions have been leaders in creating comprehensive, victim-centered services throughout their states and nationally, advocating for sustainable improvements in systemic responses to sexual and domestic violence, and shepherding thoughtful policy reforms through state legislatures and the U.S. Congress. Are these coalitions well-positioned to influence the emergence of primary prevention efforts and to respond to the increased national emphasis on reducing violence on campuses? Do they have the support of federal funders and the interest and collective capacity to take that leadership into the arenas of primary prevention and campus-based programs? These questions were behind a series of interviews we conducted last summer with 11 national and state coalition leaders. The scan arose from work we were doing with Prevention Innovations Research Center, a researcher/practitioner collaboration housed at the University of New Hampshire that focuses on ending sexual and relationship violence and stalking through the power of effective practitioner and researcher partnerships. Working with Sharyn Potter and Jane Stapleton, co-directors of Prevention Innovations, we outlined a model of a coalition consortium that would leverage the leadership of state coalitions in expanding comprehensive, evidence-based sexual and domestic violence primary and campus-based prevention programs and strategies. As former state coalition directors, we both viewed the emerging attention to these areas as a critical opportunity for coalitions to offer leadership and provide the social justice frame that would lead to sustainable change in communities and on campuses. What we didn’t know was whether there was a need for the capacity-building focus that a coalition consortium could provide. What was the current status of state coalitions in leading state- and national-level work on primary prevention and the development of campus-based prevention programs? A detailed questionnaire was developed that asked about opportunities for coalition leadership, program development, and capacity regarding primary prevention and campus-based prevention. We selected a pool of leaders to interview from state sexual assault and domestic violence coalitions and national organizations, including directors of organizations who actively were involved in sexual and domestic violence public policy leadership and the organizing of state coalitions. Participants also possessed a broad sense of the national picture of public policy advocacy generally and specifically in regard to primary prevention and campus-based prevention and response. Key takeaways • Most of those interviewed were interested in creating opportunities to address the significant disparities in prevention knowledge and capacity among and between sexual assault coalitions and domestic violence coalitions. Several leaders noted the need for someone to “serve as the hub” to organize coalitions to leverage their leadership in developing campus-based prevention programs and related public policy. • All leaders noted their interest in having greater capacity and resources to provide leadership and to establish comprehensive prevention efforts in their states, including campus-based sexual and domestic violence prevention programs. • Almost everyone said they believed most coalitions wished they had dedicated prevention staff, the ability to provide technical assistance to member programs, access to training for prevention efforts, and education about current research. A lack of funding and cuts to funding resources were overwhelmingly identified as the primary obstacles that prevent coalitions from doing more work on primary prevention and campus-based responses. • The contributions of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the IPV Prevention Council, PreventConnect, Empower (Enhancing and Making Programs and Outcomes Work to End Rape), DELTA (Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership through Alliances), and the Rape Prevention and Education program to prevention work were mentioned by many of those interviewed. They noted the importance of these resources to the current positive aspects of the status of state coalition prevention knowledge and capacity. • Many leaders shared a desire to have dedicated time and space to speak with each other about state coalition and national organization primary prevention efforts and how to connect those efforts with leadership, public policy development and advocacy, technical assistance and program development, and research and evaluation. • Several leaders discussed the need to develop the capacity of coalitions to be able to document and evaluate practice and offer local programs help with practice-based evidence. Most interviewees noted a desire to create an opportunity for state sexual and domestic violence coalitions to emerge as the national and state leadership base for developing comprehensive campus-based prevention efforts and related public policy advocacy. • Many of those interviewed were concerned about disparities in primary prevention capacity and knowledge across state sexual assault and domestic violence coalitions and, by extension, local rape crisis centers and domestic violence programs. • The current dearth of funding to support coalition prevention knowledge and technical assistance capacity, in particular, was noted. Some leaders from sexual violence organizations shared their fears about losing depth and focus on sexual violence and concerns about the status of single issue sexual violence coalitions as more coalitions merge into dual sexual and domestic violence coalitions. • The perceived lack of support from federal agencies for leveraging coalitions’ leadership regarding primary prevention and the evolution of campus-based prevention efforts was seen as a detriment. Most leaders were concerned about the failure of federal agencies and funders to connect colleges and universities with state coalitions and to promote coalition leadership in the evolution of campus-based responses to sexual and domestic violence. Many noted their concerns about the likely development of campus-based efforts being focused on liability mitigation rather than being grounded in the social justice vision of the movement to end gender-based violence. • Those interviewed recognized the opportunity for state coalitions to work with colleges and universities, which was created by The First Report of the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault and recent changes to federal regulations. However, leaders were not aware of organized efforts or resources, other than campus grants through the Office on Violence Against Women, being made available to coalitions to develop capacity for campus-based prevention programs. Those interviewed also said they were unaware of efforts to promote coalitions as resources for colleges and universities looking to improve their responses to sexual and domestic violence on their campuses. • The inconsistency among federal agencies regarding allowable or prohibited use of funds for prevention activities was described as an obstacle in establishing coalition leadership in prevention activities. Current disparities and variability among coalitions with regard to primary prevention and comprehensive prevention knowledge, capacity and leadership within states was noted, along with a recognition that sexual violence coalitions and programs are significantly further along in the development of primary prevention capacity and knowledge. • There was a noted disparity in coalitions’ work with colleges and universities on campus-based prevention and programs. Leaders who are working on campuses are sexual violence or dual coalition leaders, and no one interviewed was aware of domestic violence coalitions developing campus-based prevention programs, although many have relationships with colleges, universities and researchers. ?Several leaders mentioned that the politics of the academic sector are new to coalitions and programs. They noted that relationships with researchers, faculty and campus safety or health resources may mean little to an institution’s administration or leaders who decide campus policy. Next Steps The scan of state coalition and national leaders revealed a deep interest in developing the leadership of state coalitions in the fields of primary prevention and campus-based prevention programs. While there are varying levels of involvement, knowledge and expertise among state coalitions and existing national efforts to develop and expand coalition capacity in these areas, there was universal agreement that more could be done. Additional resources are needed for coalitions to fully participate in the unique opportunities that exist to influence the emerging focus on primary prevention and campus responses to sexual and domestic violence. This will support them in stepping into the leadership roles they’ve effectively leveraged in the development of services for survivors and public policy advocacy to improve systemic responses. Discussions among those interviewed for the scan, and other key national and state level informants, will continue in order to explore all avenues to create the support necessary to promote coalition leadership of a cohesive and sustainable prevention movement. (Photo: A group of four people sit around a table. Caption: Pictured, from left, are Mary Lauby, Sharyn Potter, Grace Mattern, and Jane Stapleton. With help from Potter and Stapleton, Mattern and Lauby scanned coalitions’ capacity to lead primary prevention and respond to increased pressure nationally to reduce violence on college campuses) Sexual Assault Awareness Month 30 Days in Photos April marked the most exciting Sexual Assault Awareness Month yet. Niagara Falls turned teal in observance, a record number of community members shared photos and words of encouragement in the #30DaysOfSAAM Instagram contest, The Huffington Post ran a blog series on sexual assault, a partnership with the Tumblr #SurvivorLoveLetter encouraged people to flood the Internet with love letters, Denim Day was once again observed, the campus documentary “The Hunting Ground” debuted, and more. In proclaiming April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, President Barack Obama said, “We are once again reminded that we can change our culture for the better by standing together against the quiet tolerance of sexual assault.” These photos show how we all came together in April to do just that. View more images by searching #30DaysOfSAAM on Instagram. (Photo: Teal lip balms are put together to spell out #SAAM15. The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault won the first week of the Instagram contest with this image.) (Photo: Project Sister Family Services in California made a heart out of sticky notes with words that signify healthy relationships.) (Photo: Teal fingernails with an awarness ribbon on the pointer finger by Instagram user @sarahashleigh5.) (Photo: A foggy Niagara Falls illuminated teal on April 2.) (Photo: A group of young activisits from MyVoice Club, a group that invites young women to build awareness about relationship violence, hold posters that say "ACTivist for Change.") (Photo: Two young activists from the organization Stand and Serve stand within a cardboard frame that says "Consent Means." They hold signs that say, "Don't touch the art!" and "Respect my boundaries!!" (Photo: Two army boots are decorated for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Program (SAPR) at the Grand Forks, N.D., Air Force Base sponsored a boot decorating contest. The task was to decorate two combat boots, one representing their squadron and one with a sexual assault awareness message. While they were decorating, they had to answer questions about sexual assault and available resources). Show us your SAAM pictures! We'd love to see your photos from April. Send them to resources@nsvrc.org or share them with us on social media. Community Voices For every edition, we ask our community members at the annual National Sexual Assault Conference and on social media a question related to sexual violence. Their answers are featured here. We asked What motivates you to continue working in anti-sexual violence? "How much need there is in the Latino community. Working toward equality of recognizable services for those most marginalized." - Diana Camarillo, Sexual Violence Program Coordinator, Oregon Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence "A desire for each person to live in a safe, satisfying way." - Judy Rowe, RN, Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition "I want to help make a world without rape and sexual assault." - @J8Balog on Twitter "To keep our students @EmoryUniversity happy, healthy and flourishing as the next generation of leaders!" - @RespectWell on Twitter "Our motivation comes from the understanding that men/boys can and want to be a part of the solution when it comes to ending SV." - @NLNTeInvito on Twitter "Because sexual violence affects people, families, and communities!" - @CROWRDREAM on Twitter "Because it’s our duty, because no one should have to live in fear of someone else, and because we can." - @ManassasCityPD on Twitter "Knowing that simply understanding the meaning of ‘yes means yes’ can help us all love each other better!" - @mstynch14 on Twitter "What doesn't!" - Rosemary Smith, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Defense Logistics Agency Be a featured voice! We want to hear your response to our next Community Voices question: How have you used social media to improve your anti-sexual violence work? Tweet your answer to @nsvrc or email resources@nsvrc.org using the subject line “Community Voices.” Pillars For Prevention Policy work is crucial component of child sexual abuse prevention New tool shows grouping smaller initiatives can lead to big change By Joan Tabachnick and Cordelia Anderson Co-Chairs, Policy Committee, National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Those working to prevent sexual violence are increasingly talking about the importance of policy, the impact of policy, and what policy changes are needed to focus public attention on child sexual abuse prevention. For years, other public health issues have successfully changed behaviors through policy initiatives. For example, taxes on cigarettes are linked to more local policies disallowing smoking in public places. The National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation developed a tool to help change the conversation about prevention policy, provide a broader lens of what prevention policy is, and give concrete examples of what that could look like. The prevention coalition’s leaders understood that no one policy would stop a public health problem as complex as child sexual abuse and exploitation. Therefore, the prevention coalition considered a range of policies to reduce the likelihood of the sexual victimization of children and to influence social norms that prioritize prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation of children. The prevention coalition employed what is known as “The Gulliver Strategy” to consider a number of smaller policy initiatives that together, would create the kind of radical change needed to promote prevention. With that in mind, the prevention coaltion developed The Six Pillars for Prevention, below, which focus on how to stop child sexual abuse before a child is harmed. They are: 1. Strengthen youth-serving organizations' sexual abuse & exploitation prevention capacity. 2. Support healthy development of children. 3. Promote healthy relationships and sexuality education for children and youth. 4. End the demand for children as sexual commodities. 5. Establish sustainable funds for prevention. 6. Prevent initial perpetration of child sexual abuse & exploitation. The prevention coalition also established key strategies to help move toward the common goal of prevention. These strategies include the importance of evaluating every effort to ensure that desired outcomes are achieved, promoting initiatives that are research-based and part of a continuous evaluation, using collaborative approaches whenever possible, and sustaining a deep commitment to keeping those directly impacted by sexual abuse at the forefront of these efforts. In addition, the prevention coalition is in the process of collecting examples of each of the Pillars from around the U.S. and, in some cases, is marking international successes. Members have full access to a range of sample legislation, research, program initiatives, and other resources to help organizations focus on one or more of these pillars in their work. This resource also allows members to exchange information and perspectives that can be essential to success. The Six Pillars for Prevention already has been put into practice. Here is one exciting way to spark discussion and focus resources: Amy Kenzie, Coordinator of the Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force, recently introduced The Six Pillars for Prevention at a quarterly meeting. Kenzie, a constant voice for prevention, reminded more than 600 members of the task force about the importance of putting equal energy into preventing sexual harm from occurring in the first place. Her brief presentation prompted the question, “How do we make sexual violence and sexual exploitation as socially unacceptable as other public health issues, such as smoking and driving drunk?” There was tremendous interest in the question, and the Pillars provided concrete examples for how to advance this perspective. Introducing Pillars to this large group was key to making concrete and actionable what had been abstract to many. WHAT YOU CAN DO • If you currently don’t include policy work in your prevention efforts, use the The Six Pillars for Prevention to spark action. • Use The Six Pillars for Prevention to advance understanding of what a comprehensive approach to prevention policies means. • Identify potential partners that might be interested in this policy initiative. This can include other prevention organizations, local sex offender treatment providers, organizational managers, researchers, child development agencies and experts, child welfare professionals, victim advocates, art organizations that deal with social justice issues (if not specifically child sexual abuse), members of the media, faith leaders, etc. • If you are involved with policy work, use The Six Pillars for Prevention to expand your work and to explore how your interests can coordinate with others involved in policy change. • Inform the National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of your policy work and provide a link to the policy so they can expand resources and highlight other efforts. Email information to preventtogether@gmail.com. • Join the effort. If your organization is not a member, consider joining the prevention coalition. Visit www.preventtogether.org. Whether or not you are a member, help build a movement and coordinated response by sharing your insights and efforts via email. As a primarily volunteer network, the National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation is not in a position to actively advance policy in each of the areas covered in The Six Pillars for Prevention. However, some member organizations have taken a leadership role in advancing one or more of these Pillars within their own policy agenda. In the coming year, the prevention coalition will use webinars, the monthly newsletter, and cross-postings on blogs, newsletters, and other social media efforts to reach its membership and to help promote the idea of a coordinated policy agenda. We could use your help. Our hope is that The Six Pillars for Prevention will help all of us coordinate our efforts, share lessons learned, and allow us to move together toward our common goal of a safer and healthier life for each and every child. Join us. Cultivating an interest in policy work CORDELIA’S STORY Cordelia’s work in prevention began in 1976, but her long-term focus on program development, education, and training changed after attending several trainings on the critical role that policy plays in social change, notably those by Larry Cohen of Prevention Institute. It took what she refers to as “an embarrassing amount of time” for his message on amplifying the importance of policy work and working across the spectrum of prevention to sink in. Learn more about Cohen's work: http://tinyurl.com/CohenKools JOAN’S STORY Joan’s long-term commitment to prevention began by focusing on preventing the perpetration of child sexual abuse. She found that the growing number of sex-offender policies proposed to solve the crisis was making it harder for families and children to reach out for help. Professionals and the public have recognized problems with the one-size-fits-all approach, and a growing number of people are advocating for a more comprehensive approach to prevention. Joan is committed to strengthening collaborative efforts, such as those between experts in sex-offender research/treatment and in prevention. That led to coauthoring a report with Alisa Klein: www.atsa.com/reasoned-approach Coming Up National Sexual Assault Conference in Los Angeles 2015 event will be ‘Inspired by Progress, United by Purpose’ By National Sexual Violence Resource Center Staff The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault will host the National Sexual Assault Conference Sept. 2 to 4 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. This year’s theme is “Inspired by Progress, United by Purpose.” The event is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. The conference is a two-and-a-half day, advocacy-based event that provides advanced training opportunities and information regarding sexual violence prevention and intervention. The 2014 conference was held in Pittsburgh and the theme was “Many Voices, One Movement.” CALCASA and PCAR/NSVRC are rotating hosts and ongoing sponsors, alternating the location each year between the East Coast and West Coast. Details: Registration opens in late May 2015. For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/NSAC2015. Use #NSAC2015 on social media to connect with others about the event. (Illustration: Black and gray drawing of the Los Angeles skyline.) Tech Roundup How to use social media to get the message out about sexual violence By Cara Courchesne Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault With all the cat videos and Buzzfeed quizzes about which Disney prince you’ll marry, Facebook and Twitter feeds can make it hard to get a word in edgewise. To further complicate things, sexual violence can be difficult for people to discuss. Still, social media is an important, user-friendly space to give voice to issues like sexual violence. The key is to approach social media in a way that helps further the movement to end sexual violence and demonstrates the great work you’re doing in a way that is authentic to you and your followers. At the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, we’ve developed a social media voice and approach that supports our broader communications plan and helps highlight our work. Here are guidelines we follow for successful media engagement: • Decide which platforms will best support your communications plan. We all know that working for a nonprofit means you wear many different hats and you don’t have the time to post to every social media platform. Pick some that will support your work and define your goals. How many people and organizations do you want to reach? Many platforms have ways to measure your audience, their engagement, and can help you plan your next social media moves. • Make sure you have a social media policy. It is important to have a social media policy so that staff members who are responsible for posting know what is OK to post, what you want to steer clear of, whether you’ll allow comments or posts on your page, and what to do if those comments head in an inappropriate direction. A policy also will help back a decision you might make to delete someone’s offensive comment. There are plenty of sample policies available online, or you can ask other coalitions to share theirs. • Use positive messaging. Articles and blog posts about systems gaps, how some colleges are failing survivors, and issues of sex trafficking and exploitation are important. However, a focus on prevention also is important. This tends to allow for a more positive focus, and posts that make people happy or laugh are more likely to engage them. Sometimes we like to use timely memes. They are funny, shareable, and get the point across. • Highlight a quote. Is there a sentence or paragraph in the article you’re posting that you think really gets to the point? Highlight a quote to entice those scrolling through their feeds to click and read more. Of course, that highlight can only be 140 characters on Twitter, but Facebook is a great place to use a few sentences of quality messaging. • Talk about breaking news. Among our highest interaction and engagement rates was when Rolling Stone retracted its support of “Jackie,” a survivor from the University of Virginia whose story the magazine featured. The retraction was going viral, and because we were able to get our message out by posting a blog and sharing it on our social media platforms, we reached thousands of people. Be realistic about your time. If you don’t have time to write a response to a breaking story, reposting or retweeting an article or a blog post is a great way to show that you’re in the know and involved in the issues. • Talk about your work. Did you just finish creating a new product? Do you have new staff? Is a center in your state doing something really innovative? Post about it! People like to read about success, and visuals help make that success shareable. Our post highlighting some of our work with the Bangor Daily News and the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence was popular, included great messaging about violence prevention, and was easily shareable because it was posted as a photo. • Share the social media love. We often find great content to post to our social media platforms from other organizations and people in the movement. Sharing directly from another’s page, or noting where you first saw it posted, is a great way to help boost others’ social media credibility, and they may return the favor. Liking and following other accounts helps keep you in the know about what to post, provides ideas on what others are talking about, and helps increase the number of people in a given conversation. • Schedule your posts. Scheduling your posts is a great way to make sure your account stays active when you know you’re about to have a busy day or two and might not be able to get to social media. Find simple scheduling tools for Twitter by searching online, and schedule posts on Facebook by writing the post as you normally would and hitting the down arrow next to the blue “post” button to select “Schedule Post.” • Don’t over-post. If you post too much at once, Facebook has algorithms that will potentially block your content from others’ feeds. Scheduling helps when you find several things you’d like to post and don’t want to get stuck in the Facebook algorithm machine. • Be patient. You probably won’t achieve instant viral social media success. A consistent posting schedule, encouraging dialogue with your followers, and responding when followers participate will help grow your audience and their engagement over time. Social media can be a process and it requires work, but it’s also fun. And sometimes posting a cat photo or two really gets the intended message out to your followers. Online Find the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter at @MaineCASA. For more information, go to www.mecasa.org. (Illustration: A hand holds a phone that is on Facebook to view Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault's page.) Coalition Spotlight In Wyoming Rural frontier’s sense of community aids sexual assault prevention By Jody Sanborn Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Ask Wyoming stakeholders what makes the primary prevention of sexual violence successful and you’ll see a theme emerge. According to one interviewee in the 2015 Wyoming Statewide Community Readiness Assessment, “The biggest strength is that we are doing this work from a community-mobilization approach that uses communities’ readiness and strengths. So we are not saying we have the answers for their problems, but we provide them with community-specific data to help them come up with sustainable, doable strategies … I think that’s unique about what we do, and what makes it successful.” Wyoming, in and of itself, is unique. As the least populated and the 10th largest state in landmass in the U.S., Wyoming is well-known for its soaring mountain ranges, vast open spaces, fierce independence, and cowboy culture. Seventy percent of the population falls into federal classifications of being either frontier or rural. Wyomingites often describe their home state as “one large small town,” where everyone seems to know everyone else, and where communities rally behind their members. This seemingly old-fashioned approach to life has helped to make primary sexual violence prevention efforts in Wyoming successful. Guided by Wyoming’s comprehensive primary sexual violence prevention strategic state plan, partnerships between state government, state-level nonprofit organizations, and local communities have flourished. Prevention efforts have been developed around the importance of community. Specifically, efforts are targeted at engaging and mobilizing communities in a three-year pilot process with communities. This process is designed to meet communities where they are: to utilize their strengths and resources to build capacity, implement social change strategies, and evaluate the impact of efforts for ongoing improvement and sustainability. In early 2014, former pilot communities came together to participate in a PhotoVoice project, a form of participatory action research that uses storytelling through photography. With the end goal of creating positive social change, former pilot communities were able to continue education and awareness about their primary sexual violence preventions efforts. One former pilot community and PhotoVoice participant noted, “In the heart of every community there is always a common ground … something that brings everyone together. Prevention is a way to bring members of communities closer together to bond and strengthen each other, empowering the people through education.” Measuring the success of primary sexual violence prevention efforts in rural communities looks significantly different than it might look in more urban communities. Impact often is considered successful when communities demonstrate the ability to sustain the work through collaboration and institutionalization of efforts. As a member of one former pilot community mentioned in a telephone interview, “Using what we learned [from the community readiness assessment] about our community, what was working/not working, finding out where the community was at ... was super important. Since it is based on using the strengths of the community, it helped us get leadership involved. That helped us sustain our initiative and we are still doing this.” Online Learn more about the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at wyomingdvsa.org. (Photo: Three women stand together with the word "Respect" on their shirts. Caption: From left are Teton County Commissioner Melissa Turley, Teton County’s Community Safety Network Director of Education and Prevention Shannon Nichols, and Community Safety Network Advocate Kayte Mewborn.) Snapshots Scenes from Time to THRIVE Photos By Taylor Teichman, National Sexual Violence Resource Center The Time to THRIVE conference in Portland, Ore., promoted safety, inclusion and well-being for LGBTQ Youth. Hosted by the Human Rights Campaign from Feb. 13 to 15, the three-day conference featured workshops on intersectionality, bathrooms for transgender students, LGBTQ homelessness, and more. There were several notable guests and speakers, including George Takei of “Star Trek” fame; Michael Sam, the first openly LGBTQ player to be drafted to the NFL; Betty DeGeneres, LGBTQ activist and mother of comedian Ellen DeGeneres; Jazz Jennings, an openly transgender teenager, model, and soon-to-be star of a documentary series on TLC; Alex Newell of the TV series “Glee”; Judy Shepard, Co-Founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation; and Jeff Parshley and Adam Bouska, co-creators of the NOH8 Campaign. ONLINE: For more about the Time to THRIVE conference, go to www.timetothrive.org. (Photo: A rainbow-colored sign says "#BETRUE." It was hung in a Nike store near the conference.) (Photos: Three speakers stand at the podium: George Takei, Judy Shepard, and Michael Sam.) (Photo: A bag, book, name tag, and conference booklet set on a table. Time to THRIVE participants received branded bags, name tags, a conference booklet, and a copy of the book Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out. More about the book on Page 30.) (Photo: A statue of otters is decorated for Valentine’s Day in Portland, Ore. One otter wears a multi-colored, plush heart belt, and another wears a purple bandit mask.) Milestones Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape celebrates 40 years of service By Michael Crawford, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2015. Since 1975, PCAR has partnered with a statewide network of rape crisis programs to bring help, hope and healing around issues of sexual violence to Pennsylvania. “Throughout the last 40 years, PCAR and its network of rape crisis centers have worked to prevent sexual violence and provide assistance to those who have been abused,” CEO Delilah Rumburg said. “We've worked with legislators to fund victim services, protect victim rights and promote community safety. We have invested in the development and evaluation of prevention programs, and shared those that work; and we have partnered with professionals from too many fields to count to ensure survivors of sexual assault are able to get the help and support they deserve. It’s been an incredible journey, and we are excited for our future." PCAR is marking this special celebration online by featuring each of the state’s rape crisis centers and sharing their good work to preventing and responding to sexual violence across Pennsylvania. Online Each week, PCAR highlights one of 50 rape crisis centers that provide services in Pennsylvania and shares how they have made an impact on PCAR’s history. Visit www.pcar.org and follow PCAR on Facebook and Twitter to learn more. (Photo: A graphic of the state of Pennsylvania with "PCAR" inside it was once used as the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape's logo.) (Photo: A two-story, red brick building serves as the PCAR offices at 125 N. Enola Drive in Enola, PA.) National Sexual Violence Resource Center marks 15 years by spotlighting partners By National Sexual Violence Resource Center Staff The National Sexual Violence Resource Center invites coalitions across the U.S. to join in a yearlong celebration of the organization’s 15th anniversary. Throughout 2015, NSVRC will highlight responses from partnering organizations to these three questions: 1. What partnerships have had the most impact on your anti-violence work? 2. Which prevention initiatives have you adopted, and how have they strengthened your work? 3. What is the biggest improvement in resources/services related to sexual violence since 2000? Answers are being shared on social media. Among the biggest improvements in resources, partners have highlighted: • Access to free, no-strings-attached sexual assault forensic exams for all sexual assault victims • The number of prevention resources • More online resources Among prevention initiatives, these were mentioned: • Basic education so survivors and first responders recognize sexual assault • Primary prevention strategies • Bystander education in schools • Men’s engagement Among impactful partnerships, people highlighted: • Partnerships with universities, campuses, communities and media • Partnerships with other state coalitions • Partnerships with policy makers in the legislature • Partnerships with public health, social justice, and cultural communities What would you add? Email resources@nsvrc.org with your answers to one or all three questions. Use the subject line “NSVRC 15th Anniversary Spotlight.” View a photo album full of responses at http://tinyurl.com/NSVRC15thAlbum. (Photo: A group of people stand outside of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's office when it opened on July 20, 2000.) From the Library The National Sexual Violence Resource Center library is overflowing with great materials, with more than 33,000 unique titles and growing. Head Librarian Karen Litterer, left, shares four of the collection’s new resources you might want to grab for your own library. Looking for research materials? Search the database at www.nsvrclibrary.org. 1. The Oxford Textbook of Violence Prevention: Epidemiology, Evidence, and Policy brings together a multidisciplinary international team of experts using a public health approach to examine the causes of interpersonal violence, and what can be done to prevent and reduce violence. Chapters describe epidemiology and consequences, present the current state of evidence in interventions, extensively discuss policies for violence reduction, and make recommendations for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. It’s an excellent reference. Oxford Textbook of Violence Prevention: Epidemiology, Evidence, and Policy, edited by Peter D. Donnelly and Catherine L. Ward (Oxford University Press, 2015) 335 p. 2. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, a work of LGBTQ literature, takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, supplementing the emotional and physical journey each young person has taken. The book brings welcome clarity to a subject that often has been obscure, and gives faces — literally and metaphorically — to a segment of the teen population that has too long been invisible. It is highly recommended for advocates and teens in grades seven to 12. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin (Candlewick Press, 2014) 182 p. 3. Survivors on the Yoga Mat: Stories for Those Healing from Trauma is an inspiring collection of essays that reveals the healing power of yoga, and is recommended for trauma survivors and yoga teachers alike. Stories from a multiracial, intergenerational, cross-cultural group of people reveal the healing powers of yoga as widely accessible, showing the liberating possibilities of yoga and the potential of self-care as an avenue for activism and social transformation. Also included is a photo glossary with more than 100 photos of the yoga postures mentioned in the book. Survivors on the Yoga Mat: Stories for Those Healing from Trauma by Becky Thompson (North Atlantic Books, 2014) 328 p. 4. Child Development from Infancy to Adolescence: An Active Learning Approach, a chronological introduction to child development, employs the active learning approach, inviting advocates as learners to forge a personal connection to the latest topics shaping the field, including neuroscience, diversity, culture, play, and media. The text also reveals a range of applications for research and theory, discussing culture and diversity and their effect on child development. The chapters weave a clear thread throughout, rather than a series of facts and concepts. This method of presentation enables advocate teams to read, write, discuss, and problem-solve, engaging analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The comprehensive reference is enhanced with online resources, videos, and tools. Child Development from Infancy to Adolescence: An Active Learning Approach by Laura E. Levine and Joyce Munsch (Sage Publications, 2016) 760 p. Recommend a resource Read something interesting? Let us know! We might add it to our library and feature it here. Tweet suggestions to @nsvrc, share them on NSVRC’s Facebook page, or email resources@nsvrc.org using the subject line “From the Library.” National Sexual Violence Resource Center 123 North Enola Drive Enola, PA 17025 Toll Free: 877-739-3895 Email: resources@nsvrc.org [Advertisement: Save the Date. National Sexual Assault Conference (Conferencia Nacional De Asalto Sexual). September (Septiembre) 2-4, 2015.] [Advertisement: Sexual violence is a complex topic. We can help reporters get it right. Free online training: tinyurl.com/svcourse] [Advertisement: National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Celebrating 15 years. Collaboration | Prevention | Resources. www.nsvrc.org] © 2015 National Sexual Violence Resource Center. All rights reserved.