Emergence: From Vision to Practice
2024-10-22 14:00 - 2024-10-23 16:00 (America/New_York) | 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.

VAdata Training and Virtual Office Hours
2024-10-29 15:00 - 16:30, 2024-11-26 15:00 - 16:30 | Virtual- Zoom

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

People of Color Caucus
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.

Navigating Social Impact
2024-11-13 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual- Zoom
What: Let’s begin to imagine robust strategies and practices for sustained wellness, connection and power.
For whom: Advocates, preventionists, outreach staff, and agency leadership are all invited to participate. Sexual and domestic violence programs seeking to bring about organizational change will benefit from identifying a diverse team to participate in attending as many sessions as possible.
Why: Promote wellness, resilience, and sustainability within SDVAs and in your community partnerships through building practices that focus on connection, resilience, trauma stewardship, and hope.

State and Local Partners Meeting
2024-11-14 13:00 - 16:00 | 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.
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.

Virginia Restoryation Report Q&A
2024-11-18 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual- Zoom
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.

Restoryation not only offered time to pause and reflect on the impact of the previous 3 years on ourselves and our work, but also to name what is needed to create a thriving workforce and movement going forward. So what is needed to do that?

Now that you’ve had a chance to look over the Restoryation findings, join us for a drop-in Q&A session about the findings and the Action Alliance’s next steps based on the lessons we learned.

We Emerge: Coaching Session
2024-12-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Virtual- Zoom
What: A.W.E. Group Sessions (Advocate Wellness Experiences)
Why: Advocate Wellness Experience Sessions are:
● Time to HONOR the INNER experience of advocates
● Space to BE with those who get it
● Guidance to RE-CENTER…
● So can we show up to this work whole, and WELL.
Drop into these monthly sessions to prioritize taking time to check in with ourselves and each other. Explore wellness topics and skills that you can bring into your own wellness practice and into your work supporting survivors.
Sessions will be held on the first Wednesday of September, November, and December at 10am. Join one or all of the sessions.

Director’s Virtual Meet-up
2024-12-04 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 Monday from 2-3p!
Note: We will try to accommodate last minute language translation requests but we typically need two weeks to secure interpretation services.

New Directors' Series 2024: Heading Out to Sea
2024-12-09 10:00 - 15:00 | Training Center, 1413 W. Main St., Richmond, VA, 23220
A successful voyage requires not only balance, provisions, and an effective crew, but also successful navigation. Directors play key roles in communicating a vision and setting the course from day to day. Explore options for approaching strategic planning as well as course corrections in agency mission and goals. Leave with resources that will help you in your role as a navigator.
Note: We will try to accommodate last minute language translation requests but we typically need two weeks to secure interpretation services.

Statewide Advocates' Meeting
2024-12-18 14:00 - 15:00 | VA
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.

2025 Day of Action
2025-01-29 14:00 - 2025-01-30 12:00 | The Women’s Club at the Bolling Haxall House, 211 E. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA, 23220, United States
Calling all advocates from Virginia’s sexual and domestic violence agencies! Join us for our annual DAY OF ACTION in Richmond! We need your voice now more than ever!
Local agencies providing life-saving services for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and trafficking are facing a financial crisis like we’ve never seen. Drastic and ongoing cuts to the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) program has resulted in a $22.5 million dollar reduction in awards to Virginia in just the last 5 years (federal fiscal years 2020-2024). The portion of these funds that go to Virginia’s 70+ sexual and domestic violence agencies, to ensure frontline, 24/7 crisis response to victims in communities, has been cut by a whopping 54%, or $13.5 million dollars, in the last 5 years alone (state fiscal years 2020-2025).
As a result of these ongoing and devastating cuts, the community safety-net for victims is rapidly eroding. But we can turn this around. Virginia must continue to PUT VICTIMS FIRST.
In 2025, the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance is asking policy leaders for $8.25 million in state funding that, when combined with current state funds and projected VOCA funds, will restore Virginia to a total of $27.75M/year for sexual and domestic violence services.
Join us on January 29th and January 30th as we rally for sustainable, robust, and effective responses for victims in our communities! Please see our schedule of events below:
Wednesday January 29th
The Women’s Club at the Bolling Haxall House
211 E. Franklin Street
Richmond, VA 23220
Parking lot on-site with overflow street parking
2pm Registration
2:30pm Welcome
2:45pm Legislative Advocacy Primer
3:30pm Break
3:45pm Briefing on 2025 Legislative Priorities and talking points
4:30pm Legislative meeting practice runs
5pm Happy hour reception for advocates, with special guests!
6pm Check into hotels, get dinner in town, and get a good night’s sleep!
Thursday January 30th
General Assembly Building
201 N. 9th Street
Richmond, VA 23219
7am – Noon Legislative visits (made in advance with your legislator)
*Action Alliance staff available throughout the day on 1st floor of General Assembly Building in Cafeteria

Directors' Virtual Meet Up
2025-02-05 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-02 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 2025 (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.

Advocate Wellness Experiences: Practicing the Pause
2025-02-07 10:00 - 15:30 | Hampton, VA
Guided by the perspective that there is more power in pausing than relentlessly pushing through – join us to explore and co-create new ways of being in our work. A “third” way that calls for an intentional and critical paradigm shift in the anti-violence movement, from reacting to the crisis of burnout towards building healing-centered capacity to respond to and even prevent it; to not just survive, but to thrive.
Together, we will unpack the impacts of this work and try on practices that support recentering ourselves amidst it. Our time will be reflective, interactive, experiential, joy-filled, and will embrace spaciousness and pauses. This session is also intended to nurture connections among fellow wellness allies, and ready us with insight and practices to continue our work whole and well.
Each session will be organically tailored to hold space and provide practices for the current needs of the field and the experiences and intentions of those who register. After registering, participants will be asked to complete a survey to fold in your perspective on how to meaningfully craft the session. In addition, the weather and unique location and space of each session will inform our time together.

Statewide Advocates' Meeting
2025-02-19 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-16 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 2025 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.

VAdata Office Hours
2025-02-25 15:00 - 16:30, 2025-03-25 15:00 - 16:30, 2025-04-29 15:00 - 16:30 | VA
Drop in (virtually) any time between 3:00 and 4:30 to ask us your VAdata related questions.

State and Local Partners Meeting
2025-02-27 10:00 - 12:00 | VA
These interactive 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 forum 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 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.
All four meetings in 2025 will be virtual, meeting via zoom from 10am – noon. We anticipate that participants 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.
At this meeting, we will be joined by staff from The Tahirih Justice Center, a national nonprofit organization serving immigrant survivors of violence, to do a brief workshop on supporting and safety planning with survivors who are immigrants.

I-CAN ECHO: Brain Injury and Abuse
2025-03-12 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtual
Extension for Community Health Outcomes or ECHO is a virtual network. Our ECHO will provide professionals with opportunities to learn about supporting survivors of abuse with disabilities and connect with other professionals.
Our ECHO will be held once a month on Wednesdays from 12:00-1:30 PM. Certificates of participation and CEUs are available.

November 13: Disability Etiquette & Respect
December 11: Supporting Survivors who are d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing
January 15: Best Practices Accessible Communication
February 12: Disabilities and the Criminal Justice System
March 12 Brain Injury and Abuse
April 23: Hot Topic

Emergence In-Person Retreat
2025-03-25 - 2025-03-27 | Roslyn Retreat Center, 8727 River Rd, Richmond, VA 23229, Richmond, VA, 23229, United States
We invite you the first of two experiential gatherings that will combine strategies for enhancing individual and organizational wellness. These sessions will focus on strengthening relationships, expertise, and collective power for healing-centered transformation. We will learn about moving from reacting to the crisis of burnout towards the healing-centered capacity to prevent it, and build muscle to create robust practices for sustained wholeness, connection, and power.

VAdata Training
2025-03-28 10:00 - 15:00 | Pearl Bailey Library, 2510 Wickham Ave, Newport News, VA, 23607, United States
Sexual and domestic violence agencies across the state use VAdata to track services and manage their grant reporting. For new staff, this means there’s a lot to learn about VAdata, how data is captured, and how to use data to tell the story of survivors in your area. For advanced users, there may be more questions about the many reports available or specific questions about how data shows up in those reports.
After this training, participants will understand more about the history and scope of the VAdata system, how to use and audit queries to retrieve information, how to use reports in grant writing, raising community awareness and more, and how data entry practices impact data and reporting statewide. Participants are encouraged to bring any and all questions to the training along with their laptops to apply practical tips learned to their own agency’s VAdata account.
The deadline to register for this training is Mar 21st.
Note: We will try to accommodate last minute language translation requests but we typically need two weeks to secure interpretation services.

Basic Advocacy Training
2025-04-15 09:00 - 2025-04-16 17:00 | Training Center, 1413 W. Main St., Richmond, VA, 23220
This interactive training is designed for program staff or volunteers in their first year of victim advocacy work. Participants will learn a brief history of our movement and the building blocks and tools of advocacy. Throughout the course, participants will integrate the foundational principles of a Trauma-Informed Approach into all levels of advocacy work. Participants will also be able to identify and define sexual and domestic violence; learn the application of best practices such as risk assessments and safety plans; understand the influence of culture and context on both victimization and survivorship; and learn about resources in Virginia for supporting both survivors and advocates. (This is the updated version of Basic Advocacy Training, incorporating domestic and sexual violence throughout instead of separating the training material. This provides all advocates a more comprehensive Basic Advocacy Training.)
The deadline to register for this training is April 8th.

Principles of Primary Prevention
2025-04-23 09:30 - 16:00 | Training Center, 1413 W. Main St., Richmond, VA, 23220
Primary prevention programs are focused on reducing or eliminating the first-time perpetration of sexual violence and intimate partner violence (SV/IPV). This means figuring out what factors make some people more at-risk to perpetrate SV/IPV, and changing or interrupting those factors. This training delves into the key concepts underlying this innovative work, highlights promising practices from the field, and includes an overview of Virginia’s Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence & Intimate Partner Violence used by sexual and domestic violence agencies throughout Virginia and across the country.
Registration closes on April 16th.

I-CAN ECHO: Hot Topic
2025-04-23 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtual

VAdata Training
2025-05-02 10:00 - 15:00 | NOVA
Sexual and domestic violence agencies across the state use VAdata to track services and manage their grant reporting. For new staff, this means there’s a lot to learn about VAdata, how data is captured, and how to use data to tell the story of survivors in your area. For advanced users, there may be more questions about the many reports available or specific questions about how data shows up in those reports.
After this training, participants will understand more about the history and scope of the VAdata system, how to use and audit queries to retrieve information, how to use reports in grant writing, raising community awareness and more, and how data entry practices impact data and reporting statewide. Participants are encouraged to bring any and all questions to the training along with their laptops to apply practical tips learned to their own agency’s VAdata account.
The deadline to register for this training is April 25th.
Note: We will try to accommodate last minute language translation requests but we typically need two weeks to secure interpretation services.
