Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran in the prevention field, it’s always good to refresh your knowledge on the basics. I’ve worked with our amazing prevention team at VALOR to pull together what we think are the top 8 best resources for learning the essentials of prevention work.
- Sexual Violence Prevention in The Prevention Researcher
Coming in at number 8 is the Sexual Violence Prevention article by VALOR’s very own, David Lee! This article discusses the foundations for preventing sexual violence through an overview of selective strategies. It discusses both the levels of prevention and the spectrum of prevention to help highlight different strategies for sexual violence prevention. There are several evidence-based strategies that are highlighted in this article, such as the MyStrength Campaign which is meant to engage men and boys in violence prevention.
Continuing the Dialogue is a great resource for folks in the prevention field or folks that are working to find intersections and overlap between the sexual and domestic violence movements and other movements aimed at ending oppression and advocating for equity in their communities. This resource also walks you through the public health approach to violence prevention in a way that is simple and easy to digest.
Coming in at number 6 is the CDC’s VetoViolence modules. This animated e-learning module discusses the Principles of Prevention (POP), the definition of violence, and the impacts that violence has on a national level. These engaging units will describe the public health approach to violence prevention and identify the four levels of the Social Ecological Model. It will also walk you through the distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention and how you can implement prevention at the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels to create sustainable, healthy, safe, and thriving communities free from violence. There is no cost associated with this resource and you can move through the videos fairly quickly. There’s also the feature to save your progress if you create an account through the CDC so you don’t have to work through them in one sitting!
This foundational web conference highlights the fundamentals of the public health approach to preventing sexual and domestic violence. It highlights emerging themes in the field and introduces the THRIVE framework to help identify underlying contributors to sexual and domestic violence. This specific web conference also discusses innovative practices that address these factors and discusses how to use the Spectrum of Prevention to create comprehensive prevention strategies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed technical packages to help states and communities take advantage of the best available evidence to prevent violence. This resource includes links to technical packages that help preventionists implement prevention curricula for sustainable reductions of specific risk factors for ACEs, Child Abuse and Neglect, IPV, SV, Youth Violence, and Suicide. These technical packages are designed to help you develop strategies for successful, evidence-based prevention programs. Check out the STOP SV technical package for a guide on creating protective environments!
This is a great resource that helps explain different risk and protective factors that impact the likelihood of sexual violence perpetration. I love this resource because it also breaks it down within the social-ecological model and really “puts it all together” and discusses how to increase the effectiveness of prevention efforts.
This resource includes incredible e-modules that are incredibly helpful if you want to learn about the fundamentals of prevention, advocacy, and self-care in this field. Even the landing page is filled with incredible resources to peruse. Take your time as you work through these self-paced modules.
Rolling in at number one is the Building a Foundation for Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Prevention. When it comes to primary prevention of sexual and intimate partner violence, it can be a complex field filled with technical language, jargon, and acronyms. However, the purpose of it means stopping violence before it ever happens. This web conference provides a foundation for understanding the importance of primary prevention, highlights real-world examples, and shares resources to expand prevention knowledge.
We wanted to include two bonus resources for our California RPE programs. Check them out below:
This Rape Prevention Education (RPE) onboarding toolkit, created in 2021, is a comprehensive guide for RPE grantees who are new hires. This toolkit includes a new staff checklist, VALOR, and CDPH roles, an overview of RPE and tier 1 (Close to Home)/tier 2 (school-based) programs, and a “Deep Dive” section that features numerous resources and reading to get started in prevention.
This resource center includes online courses, past web conferences, and a plethora of resources related to not only prevention but a number of topics related to the sexual violence field. This is a great place to search for specific resources, stay up to date on the latest newsletters and catch up on any missed web conferences. The VALOR HUB has it all!
I hope you enjoyed this prevention playlist! When it comes to prevention, we’ve got you covered! Be sure to stay connected through the VALOR and PreventConnect newsletters!
