[For Community Partners] Faith Centered Approaches to Fighting Sexual Violence

Date

07/01/2021 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM PST

Location

Host(s)

Shelby Philips (she/her/hers), Program & Communications Coordinator, ValorUS

Presenter(s)

Sarah Orton (she/her/hers), Project Coordinator, ValorUS and Mallika Kaur (she/hers), Acting Executive Director, Sikh Family Center

Description

Culture and community are an integral part of a victim/survivor’s support system following a sexually violent experience, and spirituality can be an essential part of someone’s healing process. While it’s important to acknowledge that many survivors do not choose to lean into faith to cope with trauma, those who do greatly benefit from a strong relationship between sexual assault providers and spiritual healers. Faith traditions and communities are diverse and so is how they approach addressing sexual violence within their communities. It is important for spiritual leaders to understand the impact of sexual assault on the people they support and to feel comfortable joining and activating the survivors’ support networks, which often necessitates the awareness of local resources. Co-facilitated with Sikh Family Center, this web conference is for faith-based organizations and advocates who are interested in expanding their tools, offering community-based support, and joining the anti-sexual violence movement in disrupting and preventing sexual violence.

The Collective Power to Eradicate Sexual Violence:

Web Conference Series for Community Partners

June & July 2021

ValorUS is committed to community centered approaches to eradicating sexual violence. By building the skills of local providers and bridging with local sexual assault programs, we can prevent and reduce generations of trauma and related social ills. We are excited to offer our annual Summer Workshop Series for Community Partners who encounter sexual assault survivors among their clients/consumers. Leveraging our collective power, these web conferences are grounded in ValorUS’ Collective Power: A Practical Blueprint for Sexual Assault Programs to Create Community Partnerships and Collaborations, a roadmap to create, foster, and sustain partnerships and collaborations between rape crisis centers/dual agencies, and organizations and sectors allied with our anti-sexual violence movement.

Learning Objectives

Describe the impact of sexual violence on individuals and communities and identify resources to support survivors
Identify action steps to bolster the role of faith leaders and spiritual healers in disrupting sexual violence and fostering community healing
Utilize strategies to build strong partnerships with local sexual assault agencies and other social justice organizations