Spring 2024 Directors' Forum
2024-05-30 09:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Church of Our Savior Episcopal, 1165 Rio Rd E, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22901, United States
Directors and director-level leaders across the state are invited to join the Action Alliance for our Spring 2024 SDVA Directors’ Forum: Nourishing Connection. The agenda includes some new and emerging resources for Directors and programs, as well as some Peer-to-Peer TA time (back by popular demand!). The agenda is not conducive to virtual participation, so this will be in person.

Director's Virtual Meet-Up
2024-06-05 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-08-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual- Zoom
The Statewide Hotline/Crisis Response Team would like to offer this space as an ongoing opportunity to increase partnership, learn more about the needs at agencies, have a place to share and learn more about Statewide Hotline operations, and to provide the space for folx to discuss challenges, highlights, regional updates, trends, etc.

New Directors' Series 2024: Provisioning the Boat
2024-06-10 08:00 - 17:00 | Training Center, 1413 W. Main St., Richmond, VA, 23220
A successful voyage requires just the right number of resources to get you to your destination—including all the tools you will need, and functioning systems to keep things afloat in all kinds of weather. A few of the specific topics we will be covering include planning, matching resources to goals, managing those resources, automation, and redundancy. Leave with some new tools that will ease the burden of provisioning the boat.

State and Local Partners Meeting
2024-06-13 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-08-22 13:00 - 15:00 | Virtual- Zoom
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.

Red Flag Campaign Relaunch!
2024-06-13 12:30 - 13:30 | Virtual- Zoom
It has been over a decade since we launched www.theredflagcampaign.org/ to help college students shift cultural norms around dating violence. In the intervening years, hundreds of campuses across the nation have implemented the Red Flag Campaign. Since first introducing the campaign, the way young people speak about and understand dating violence has changed, so we have updated the Red Flag Campaign materials to reflect their experiences today. We are excited to announce that we have updated the digital Campus Planning Guide to include more information about bystander intervention as a strategy for violence prevention, microaggressions as a form of dating violence, and why healthy sexuality is a key concept of violence prevention. There is also new turnkey artwork for social media posts and updated printable handouts about effective bystander intervention strategies.
If you are unfamiliar with the campaign, the Red Flag Campaign is a bystander intervention program that educates college students about sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking by highlighting the red flags that students may see in a friend’s relationship. The campaign includes a digital guide for implementation, miniature red flags, and printed posters featuring active bystander responses to warning signs for emotional abuse, stalking, microaggressions, and other controlling and isolating behaviors. In 2023, we launched two poster series (Series C and D), which include language around interrupting microaggressions and promoting joyful sexuality; you can click this link to compare and explore each series.
Join us on Thursday, June 13th from 12:30pm to 1:30pm EDT to learn more about the new Red Flag Campaign materials including ideas for implementation and best practices around prevention programming.

Harm and Accountability Toolkit Webinar
2024-06-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Virtual- Zoom

VAdata Training and Virtual Office Hours
2024-06-25 15:00 - 16:30, 2024-07-30 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-08-27 15:00 - 16:30, 2024-09-17 15:00 - 16:30, 2024-10-29 15:00 - 16:30 | Virtual- Zoom

Statewide Advocates' Meeting
2024-06-26 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual- Zoom
The Statewide Hotline/Crisis Response Team offers this space as an ongoing opportunity for folx working on the front lines and on the hotlines providing direct services and support! This is a space with opportunities to meet other advocates across VA, learn more about the Statewide Hotline and Project for Empowerment of Survivors (PES) and to share trends, highlights, events, regional updates, etc.

Economic Justice Summit
2024-06-27 09:00 - 16:30 | Hampton University, McGrew Conference Center, 24 Indian Rd, Hampton, VA, 23669, United States

Emergence Project
2024-06-28 13:00 - 15:00 | Virtual- Zoom

Trauma Informed Lawyering
2024-07-09 12:00 - 14:00 | Virtual- Zoom
In this training, we’ll discuss trauma and its impact on survivors and attorneys as well as explore how to respond to clients using a trauma-informed approach.
The event is CLE pending. We’re hoping that training lawyers to be trauma-informed in their approach will lead to improved services for survivors. Lawyers will also gain an increased understanding of trauma and its impact on individuals and themselves.

People of Color Caucus
2024-07-09 15:30 - 17:00 | Virtual
The People of Color Caucus was formed to create a space where folks of color can come together to be in community and foster connections and have connections on how to amplify each other’s voices. Caucuses are for Action Alliance members only.

DO YOU Facilitator Training
2024-07-23 10:00 - 2024-07-24 16:00 | Training Center, 1413 W. Main St., Richmond, VA, 23220
DO YOU: Building Youth Resilience Through Creative Expression is a primary prevention strategy to address teen dating violence, sexual harassment, and bullying. DO YOU addresses youth violence by confronting root causes and enhancing protective factors (building resilience) to promote positive development and healthy relationships for young people ages 13-16 years old.
This training is designed for adult facilitators and teen mentors/peer facilitators who are interested in implementing the DO YOU program in their communities. Participants will learn about the history and development of the program, engage in experiential and art-based activities, and receive facilitation tools for implementing the DO YOU program. Participants will receive the DO YOU UnCurriculum (program facilitation guide), 21 zines, tools for evaluation, and ongoing technical assistance to support program implementation.

Statewide Advocates' Meeting
2024-08-21 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual- Zoom
The Statewide Hotline/Crisis Response Team would like to offer this space as an ongoing opportunity for folx working on the front lines and on the hotlines providing direct services and support! This is a space with opportunities to meet other advocates across VA, learn more about the Statewide Hotline and Project for Empowerment of Survivors (PES) and to share trends, highlights, events, regional updates, etc.

New Directors' Series 2024: It's All About the Crew
2024-09-09 10:00 - 11:30 | Virtual
The boat is not going anywhere without a willing and competent crew! Let’s talk about recruiting, training and promoting your agency crew. Learn about the elements of creating a trauma-informed workplace. Leave with a newfound appreciation for your role in valuing and supporting your crew.
Note: We will try to accommodate last minute language translation requests, but we typically need two weeks to secure interpretation services.

Director's Virtual Meet-up
2024-10-02 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual- Zoom
The Statewide Hotline/Crisis Response Team would like to offer this space as an ongoing opportunity to increase partnership, learn more about the needs at agencies, have a place to share and learn more about Statewide Hotline operations, and to provide the space for folx to discuss challenges, highlights, regional updates, trends, etc. We look forward to seeing you all every other month in 2024 (February, April, June, August, October and December) on the 1st Wednesday from 2-3p!
Note: We will try to accommodate last minute language translation requests but we typically need two weeks to secure interpretation services.

Virginia Restoryation Report: What lessons did the data teach?
2024-10-03 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual- Zoom
Stories reveal, help us process, and reflect. Story circles have been part of our collective human experience across communities, cultures, and generations. The process of storytelling and the practice of bearing witness to one another’s stories is one of the most intuitive, most powerful, and most ancient medicines we have.

Virginia was one of 25 states and territories across the U.S. to participate in Restoryation, a national storytelling project and needs assessment among professionals working in the movement to end sexual and domestic violence. The primary goals of Restoryation were to employ storytelling to:

Pause and reflect on the impact of the previous 3 years on ourselves and our work.

Provide an opportunity for connection and healing through sharing our experiences and bearing witness to each other’s stories.

Name what is needed to create a thriving workforce and movement going forward.

Join us for a brief webinar to learn more about the data that came out of the Restoryation story circles held February-May 2023, and the Action Alliance’s next steps based on the lessons we learned.

People of Color Caucus
2024-10-08 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-11-12 15:30 - 17:30 | Virtual
The People of Color Caucus was formed to create a space where folks of color can come together to be in community and foster connections and have connections on how to amplify each others voices. Caucuses are for Action Alliance members only.
In 2024, we have a lot of opportunities to meet and we hope to see you for one of them.
Note: We will try to accommodate last minute language translation requests but we typically need two weeks to secure interpretation services.

Statewide Advocates' Meeting
2024-10-16 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual- Zoom
The Statewide Hotline/Crisis Response Team would like to offer this space as an ongoing opportunity for folx working on the front lines and on the hotlines providing direct services and support! This is a space with opportunities to meet other advocates across VA, learn more about the Statewide Hotline and Project for Empowerment of Survivors (PES) and to share trends, highlights, events, regional updates, etc. We look forward to seeing you all every other month in 2024 on the 3rd Wednesday from 2-3p.
If you know of other Advocates, Hotline and/or Direct Services staff that could benefit from joining the space, please send their contact information to lwhite@vsdvalliance.org.
Note: We will try to accommodate last minute language translation requests but we typically need two weeks to secure interpretation services.

Emerging Together Gathering
2024-10-22 09:00 - 12:00 | Hotel 24 South, 24 South Market Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
What: Together, in A.W.E.: Advocate Wellness Experiences in 3-D
For whom: Advocates and leaders in the field of sexual and domestic violence advocacy,
intervention, and prevention.
Why: Advocate Wellness Experiences are:
Time to HONOR the INNER experience of advocates
Space to BE with those who get it
Guidance to RE-CENTER…
So we can show up to this work whole and WELL.
This special edition A.W.E. session is an in-person opportunity to prioritize taking time to check in with ourselves and each other. We will explore wellness topics and skills that you can bring into your own wellness practice and into your work supporting survivors. Together, we will also have time and space to engage in personal reflection and build deeper connections with each other over a community meal.
Breakfast provided

Emergence: From Vision to Practice
2024-10-22 14:00 - 2024-10-23 16:00 | Hotel 24 South, 24 South Market Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
What: An experiential gathering integrating a foundation of wellness and wholeness into organizational life. We will explore robust strategies and move from habits to practices.
For whom: Advocates, preventionists, outreach staff, and agency leadership are all invited to participate. Bring a diverse team from your organization to help your organizational wellness practices stick!
Why: Deepen your organizational foundation of wellness and wholeness through robust strategies and practices. By increasing retention of healthy staff at sexual and domestic violence agencies, we directly improve the emotional and physical safety and well-being of survivors who are in our care.
Breakfast and lunch provided on the 23rd.

Emergence: From Wellness to Impact
2024-10-24 09:00 - 2024-10-25 12:00 | Hotel 24 South, 24 South Market Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
What: Let’s build relationships, expertise, and collective power to position healing-centered communities as catalysts for transformation. We’ll explore your landscapes, relationship maps, and readiness with the goal of having a measurable impact on at least one complex problem facing your community.
What are some examples of a community wellness project?
-Establish once a month free dental/vision/mental health/wellness checks for vulnerable communities at a location that is easy to reach in your community.
-Ask your community’s teens about what kind of activities or help they need outside of school and make a plan to meet one of those goals.
-Establish a pilot program in one middle or high school to implement trauma-informed and restorative responses to school discipline issues.
-Work with community organizers and partners to launch an affordable/workforce housing campaign.
There are so many possibilities!
For whom: Bring a team! Community Impact Teams are intended to be a collaboration between a sexual and domestic violence agency (SDVA) and 1-2 other community partners. In selecting community partners, consider how to deepen existing relationships in your work to respond to and prevent violence – for example, consider a partner working to support healthy child development, reduce maternal mortality, or create greater access to community resources that will ultimately lead to thriving families and communities.
Why: This is an opportunity for sexual and domestic violence advocates to learn, organize, and meaningfully implement with community partners who have shared visions for wellness.
Breakfast and lunch provided on the 24th. Breakfast provided on the 25th.
Please note: The Action Alliance will cover the cost of 1 night lodging for each registrant of this event.

Annual Membership Meeting
2024-10-30 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual- Zoom
We will host our Annual Action Alliance Business Membership Meeting virtually on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, from 1-2:30 pm. For the Zoom link, please reach out to Leisha Santilli @ lsantilli@vsdvalliance.org
