In 2023, after two years of working with all of you, the Action Alliance released Sustaining the Movement, a 10-Year Plan for Virginia’s Sexual and Domestic Violence Programs. This document is now guiding our work internally, and with legislators, funders, and all of you. The VOCA funding crisis made the value of this road map clear to all of us: it requires dedicated strategy and action to ensure that all corners of Virginia continue to benefit from effective sexual and domestic violence services and prevention initiatives.

One of the first actions described in the plan is to: Develop an updated description of the work of SDVAs that recognizes how services and programs will continue to evolve in response to community needs as well as wider influences.

We know more now about trauma, healing, and prevention than we did 30 years ago, and it has changed our work—and we can expect that knowledge to continue to evolve. Technology has expanded our opportunities to connect—and has cranked up the pace of our work. No doubt there are technological changes on the horizon that we have yet to imagine. The roots of our work, which are deeply intertwined with movements for equality and justice have held strong, and we have also been called upon to expand our thinking about how we build upon those roots. Still, we have never wavered from the commitment to serve ALL survivors.

We are going to begin our work on this BIG objective (an updated description of the work of SDVAs) with regional conversations about the future of 24/7 services delivery. There are no preconceived ideas about where this conversation will take us. We plan to create a space where you can ask all the “what if” questions that are on your mind. We hope to hear differing perspectives offered with both passion and respect for differences. Importantly, we believe that the outcome must come from the field collectively, and not from a small committee or a funding agency, and so we are hoping that ALL of our member agencies can participate or send a representative to at least one of these conversations.

*If you register and are unable to attend, please consider sending a representative in your stead. Email the change to training@vsdvalliance.org

Registration for this event closes June 25th.