COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAM

My Sister's Place believes it is not enough to help women and children after they have been abused; we must work toward preventing the abuse in the first place. We are strongly committed to getting domestic violence information and resources out into the community through the following program initiatives:

• Latino Outreach Program — Our Latino Outreach Coordinator, with assistance from bi-lingual volunteers, delivers workshops, trainings, and technical assistance in Spanish to Latino community organizations, youth groups, religious groups, and social service providers.
• DC Clothesline Project — We display a collection of shirts created by survivors of gender-related violence throughout the community. We also facilitate shirt making sessions with women and girls in Spanish and English.
• Beauty Salon Outreach — Nail files with MSP's hotline printed on them, lipstick cases discretely containing safety plan information, and information sheets are placed by volunteers in salons across the metropolitan area.
• Speaker's Bureau — Volunteers are trained in facilitation skills and deliver interactive workshops to a broad range of community groups.
• Teen Dating Violence Workshops — We facilitate on-going workshops at high schools, youth programs, and with pregnant and parenting teens.
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month — In October MSP launches a city-wide public awareness campaign, in collaboration with other gender-violence prevention advocates. Events coordinated include: candle light vigils in English and Spanish; films and discussions; Clothesline Project displays; workshops and trainings; poetry readings; self-defense classes; TV and radio interviews.

Trainings and Workshops

We work with women in prison, recovery, and in shelter as well as with youth and men to address the dynamics of dating and domestic violence. Our workshops are offered in both English and Spanish and objectives include helping participants to:

• Recognize "warning signs" that can predict abusive relationship.
• Define healthy relationships.
• Discuss why people stay in abusive relationships.
• Describe the types of domestic violence and give examples.
• Describe the cycle of violence and the dynamics of an abusive relationship.
• Explain how aspects of domestic violence manifest themselves in dating violence.
• Identify the societal and personal causes and effects of relationship violence.
• Develop strategies for assisting friends and family who may be in abusive relationships. In our efforts to effect society-wide change in attitudes about domestic violence, My Sister's Place's Community Education Program places great emphasis on training professionals and service providers. Training workshops are extensive and cover a wide area of information about domestic violence. Our goal is to be sure that professionals, community groups, religious organizations, and any other people who have contact and are concerned with battered women have better information about and an understanding of domestic violence. Professional trainings and workshops offered include:

SPECIALIZED TRAININGS

Domestic Violence in the Workplace: Preventing, Identifying, and Responding to Abuse

• Trainings for Corporate Professionals
• Trainings for Healthcare Providers
• Trainings for Law Enforcement
• Trainings for Service Providers

Other Topics:

• Same-sex Partner Violence
• Domestic Violence from a Cross-Cultural Perspective
• Teen Dating Violence
• Animal Abuse and Partner Violence
• Domestic Violence and Children
• Facilitation Skills: How to develop and implement engaging and effective cross-cultural workshops for diverse audiences
• Linkages Between Domestic Violence and Sexism, Racism, Religious oppression, etc.

All workshops are hands-on and interactive, and are conducted by trained facilitators with extensive backgrounds in these issues. Facilitators create an atmosphere in which participants feel comfortable engaging in open and honest discussion about the subject.

FEES

My Sisters Place offers its training and technical assistance services on a sliding scale. We work with at-risk groups and community organizations at no charge. Our programs for corporate and professional organizations, which support our pro bono work, are offered at a rate of $100 per hour for each trainer. This cost also applies to pre-workshop preparation time.

If you are interested in scheduling a workshop, please contact the Community Education Department at 202-529-5261.