Ending Domestic Violence Creating Social Change
—Lanza del Vasto
Looking for a way to change the world?
So are we.
Many of our lives have been touched in one way or another by intimate partner violence. We or someone we know may have been a victim. We may work with children, youth, or adults who live with the effects of violence in their lives. We may watch television shows, listen to music, or go see films that condone violence against women in some way.
No matter what way it has affected us, or even if we're not sure what that way is, we know we want our partners, family, friends, peers, and children to live a safer life and have healthy relationships. We have a stake in ending intimate partner violence; we have a stake in creating change.
And that's what our program is all about: creating social change to build the lives and world we imagine--where we are safe from relationship violence, able to develop our own interests and identity free from gender stereotypes, and where we can all have equitable and healthy relationships. Using a social justice framework, we can move forward on addressing the role that oppression plays in intimate partner violence and work to end it.
This is a really exciting time to get involved with ending intimate partner violence before it begins, or primary prevention. Primary prevention efforts are taking off nationwide, and Florida is a leader in those initiatives. We are currently funded by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the state of Florida. Florida is the first state to award funds to all (42) of the certified domestic violence centers in the state to conduct primary prevention. New opportunities and jobs are opening up constantly in this field!
We currently have several programs underway on our path towards this
goal. We have new training programs for interns and community members
who are interested in learning more about working to end intimate partner
violence. We also collaborate with schools and community agencies to
determine how intimate partner violence prevention materials and concepts
can be integrated into existing curriculum. In conjuction with that,
we are able to provide presentations to students on a supplementary
basis. Some of the other things we do to support the creation of a culture
of prevention in our community include:
--participating in community taskforces
--giving conference presentations on our work
--conducting ongoing, extensive evaluation of all aspects of our work
Please take a look around our site to learn more about what we do and
how we can collaborate with you. The site has been organized to provide
information both about our program and about prevention in general.
Once you start learning more, contact us!
We look forward to counting you as a partner in change.