These quarterly gatherings of advocates, preventionists, sexual and domestic violence agency administrators, state funders and other partners serving survivors of violence are opportunities for connection and collaboration on the local, regional, and state level. The State and Local Partners Meetings are a unique opportunity for agencies to share their expertise and experiences from the front lines with funding partners who would like to learn more about emerging trends, needs, and celebrations among our communities.

This year, we will be moving the focus to our collective work across the Commonwealth. Increasingly, survivors and advocates often face many of the same issues (such as affordable housing, transportation, child care, substance use, mental illness, and lack of community resources) regardless of their location within Virginia. We want to provide a better opportunity for networking, peer-to-peer connection, and a space to crowd-source ideas, resources, and promising practices. Our first three meetings will be virtual, and the last meeting of the year will be an in-person opportunity for professional development, resource sharing, and networking.

This invitation is open to advocates, preventionists, funders, and other partners serving survivors and/or supporting community education on healthy relationships. Our time together will be spent learning from each other, engaging in discussion on statewide issues, sharing valuable resources, etc. We anticipate that participants who join the meetings are coming prepared to engage in conversations that will continue to move forward the work of ending sexual and domestic violence here in the Commonwealth.