Education is the key to preventing and eliminating sexual violence. There is great promise for the future of child sexual abuse prevention, and ultimately elimination, through education. Providence Intervention Center collaborates with numerous community groups – including schools, drug & alcohol programs, health care providers, parent groups, faith communities, shelters, and many others to provide tools necessary to identify and confront the social and individual conditions that support and continue sexual violence. Prevention trainings can include a focus on increasing awareness of sexual assault issues, building skills to prevent sexual assault, and long-term community specific projects which empower groups to create change. Trainings and many materials are provided free of charge.
Information and Awareness Presentations
Information and awareness presentations are designed to inform the community and increase the audience’s awareness and knowledge of sexual assault issues. Our goal is that by learning more about the rates, dynamics, and impacts of sexual assault the community will be able to begin to take responsibility for the prevention of sexual assault. This type of presentation is adaptable to all audiences and age groups. Presentations may be very general or specific to a particular aspect of abuse relative to your community or audience. Most information and awareness presentations are about an hour in length.
Skill Building Presentations
Providence Intervention Center can also provide your community or group with a presentation specifically designed to increase the audience’s ability to prevent sexual assault. These presentations are generally longer in length, many including multiple sessions, and geared toward a specific prevention goal. Examples may include safety education for parents of preschoolers, self-defense and empowerment for teens, or preventing sexual harassment in schools. Many community groups progress towards skill building presentations as a result of an information and awareness presentation.
Community Development Projects
There are daily news reports about assault and abuse of children and adults and the community expresses its disgust, “That’s horrible! What is this world coming to?”, but we think there is nothing we can do. The community development approach enables all of us to prevent assault and abuse by encouraging communities of 2 or more individuals to develop a plan for a community that is free from violence. Violence is not a problem that is a school problem, a police problem, or a family problem. Rather, because violence affects all of us together… it is a community problem. Providence Intervention Center can help your group build support to look at violence issues, as you perceive them, in your unique community. Staff will facilitate designing a project which is based upon the concept that strong community participation will be a key determinate of the success of your efforts to create change toward a safer community. Community Development Projects are long-term initiatives that are facilitated by Providence Intervention Center staff, but are driven and accomplished by the community members involved. Previous projects have included student led education and awareness initiatives at local schools, community based coalitions to address neighborhood prostitution, and shelter-based programs to educate residents on abuse issues.