March 2018 Community Education E-bulletin

3/1/2018

Welcome to the March 2018 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month & Child Abuse Prevention Month
2. March is Women's History Month
3. Help Us Reach 1,000 Likes!
4. Hope House 2017 Impact Report
5. Hope House Donation Needs
6. Sexual Assault
7. Domestic Violence
8. Parents' and Youth Service Providers' Section
9. Resources

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month & Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is quickly approaching and Hope House staff and volunteers are working on projects for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and Child Abuse Prevention Month.

We're planning things like Denim Day (April 25), community displays and booths, poster distribution, and radio PSAs and letters to the editor. Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for more information and ways you can get involved! In the meantime, visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's SAAM page to learn more about this year's theme "Embrace Your Voice."

March is Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month and this year's theme is "Nevertheless, She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women." Learn more from the National Women's History Project and check out this Time article, Why 'Nevertheless, She Persisted' Is the Theme for This Year's Women's History Month.

Help Us Reach 1,000!
Do you like Hope House's Facebook page? We'd love to have you follow us! Recent posts include our monthly Hope House advocate spotlight, monthly wish list updates, donation drive photos, event and awareness campaign photos, and helpful news articles, videos, and resources. To be sure to see our posts, after liking our page, click on Following, select See First and Notifications On.

We're getting close to 1,000 likes. Can you help us get there? Share our page with your FB friends. You can also write a review and recommend Hope House. Thank you for your support!

Pictured above is our impact report for 2017 showing the number of people we served, hotline calls received, and youth presentations we gave. Thank you for your help to make this happen!

Hope House Donation Needs
Monetary donations are most needed. Individuals have the option of donating online. Please note that a portion of your online donation will go towards PayPal fees. Donations can be mailed to Hope House, P.O. Box 557, Baraboo, WI 53913. We also appreciate gas cards, gift cards (Walmart, Kwik Trip, Walgreens, Kohl’s), taxi vouchers from Baraboo Taxi, and used cell phones, iPods and iPads. Please note that we are not accepting used stuffed animals/plush toys, used toys, clothes (except for new sweatshirts and sweatpants), shoes, used books, furniture, TVs, bar soap, hats, scarves or travel-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash. Current needs include the following:

Food: milk, produce, bottled water
Baby Items: size 6 diapers
Cleaning Supplies: dishwasher detergent, magic erasers, hand sanitizer, disinfecting sprays/wipes
Kitchen: tall garbage bags, ice cube trays
Program Supplies: whiteboard markers, highlighters, 2-pocket plastic folders
New Clothing for Adults and Children: t-shirts (all sizes), pajama/yoga/sweatpants (size medium and large)

Special Note about Travel-Size Items: We encourage those looking to donate travel-size items to donate them to the Backpack Project. The Backpack Project strives to provide Baraboo School District students who are financially challenged to enter the school doors on the first day ‘just like everyone else’ and to show these children the community supports and encourages them to learn and do their best. If interested in donating towards this project, please contact Becky Hovde at 608-963-8230 or hivebiz@centurytel.net.

Sexual Assault

Together, we can change norms to prevent sexual violence and harassment: “We need to move from norms that reinforce inequalities of power to equity; from tolerance of abuse to accountability and justice; and from rigid and harmful norms of masculinity and femininity to a more expansive understanding of gender, rooted in respect for all human beings to live free from harassment and coercion…Below are some examples of strategies to prevent sexual violence and harassment across the Spectrum”…Read more
The Sexual Assault Epidemic No One Talks About: “The results show that people with intellectual disabilities — women and men — are the victims of sexual assaults at rates more than seven times those for people without disabilities…They are more likely than others to be assaulted by someone they know. The assaults, often repeat assaults, happen in places where they are supposed to be protected and safe, often by a person they have been taught to trust and rely upon”…Read more…Read related article: #MeToo?: To Address Sexual Assault Among Disabled, People Need to Stop Desexualizing & Segregating Us
2018 Olympics Feature First-Ever Sexual Violence Counseling Centers: “Now, for the first time, Olympic workers like Jeon hope to change the culture of the Olympics by opening four counseling offices across the Olympic sites, known as Gender Equality Support Centers. The centers, the first organized and advertised places where people who experience sexual violence at the games can go, are staffed with counselors who speak multiple languages, and can work with visitors in person, as well as through a phone hotline. Staff have been trained in medical treatment, legal issues, and therapy. The center provides anonymity, along with assuring the health and safety of visitors”…Read more
New Initiative Hopes to Bring #MeToo to the Music Industry: “Inspired by Time's Up, VIE spearheaded a campaign for Grammy attendees to wear white roses as a show of support for ‘equal representation in the workplace, for leadership that reflects the diversity of our society, workplaces free of sexual harassment and a heightened awareness of accountability,’ the group said in a statement. Despite the last-minute notice, artists such as Pink, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Nick Jonas, Jason Isbell, Little Big Town and Rapsody were spotted sporting white roses at the event. With the Grammys over, VIE – whose core team members represent radio, public relations and label executives alongside on-air talent – plans to continue working to enact change in the music industry”…Read more
For nurses, sexual harassment from patients is ‘par for the course’: “But because it's also their obligation to treat the patients who come to them, addressing harassment from a patient, or the family member of a patient, can get tricky. ‘If a customer is in a store, you would feel much more within you're rights to say 'You're not welcome to shop here'…So hospitals are forced to get creative, usually first talking to the patient about the behavior, and then through reassigning staff if that doesn't work…Justice, the travel ER nurse, said change will start once the profession of nursing as a whole is no longer sexualized”…Read more

2018 Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault: “In January 2018, SSH commissioned a 2,000-person, nationally representative survey on sexual harassment and assault, conducted by GfK. It found that nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime…The report covers information on these five main topics”…Read more
James Beard Awards Apply a New Yardstick: Good Behavior: “In addition to what’s on the plate and how a dining room executes service, contenders must also possess ‘the values of respect, transparency, diversity, sustainability and equality’…This year, 40 percent of the nominees are women, up from 27 percent last year. This year’s list is also more egalitarian and culturally diverse (though the foundation was not able to provide any statistics on racial diversity). Barbecue pits, noodle shops and fried chicken stands rub shoulders with high-style restaurants like Vespertine in Los Angeles and Cote, a New York Korean barbecue restaurant with the DNA of an expensive steakhouse. Some restaurants that topped critics’ lists in 2017 are noticeably absent, omitted by the foundation for either proven or perceived violations of the new code”…Read more
An Unbelievable Book About Rape: New Work From Pulitzer Story Authors Is a ‘Reality Check’: “Before Marie’s ordeal was over, prosecutors charged her with ‘filing a false report,’ a crime that carries a jail term. Marie avoided jail, but only after months of exhausting trips to court. Two years later in Colorado, detectives came across her case while investigating a series of rapes in their state. They discover that the man who had raped Marie was committing rape in Colorado in ways that mirrored her experience…‘The underlying story is under development as an eight-episode Netflix series titled ‘Unbelievable’”…Read more
State seeks public's help in stopping 'insidious' crime of human trafficking: “‘Human trafficking is happening here in Wisconsin, in urban and suburban areas, small and large cities, and towns and villages,’ Schimel said at a news conference Tuesday in Madison, where he and other officials also highlighted recent state and local efforts to try to prevent trafficking and serve teens and adults exploited for sex”…Read more

Domestic Violence

Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz shared a trait with other mass killers: He abused women: “The 19-year-old was abusive towards his ex-girlfriend and was expelled after getting in a fight with her new boyfriend, one student told the New York Times (paywall). He was taken with another student 'to the point of stalking her,' his former math teacher said (paywall). Another student said he had been close friends with Cruz but cut him off after he started 'going after' and 'threatening' a female friend of his. It shouldn’t be a surprise. The perpetrators of mass shootings in modern America were overwhelmingly male and had a history of domestic abuse or misogynistic shows of behavior”…Read more
After #MeToo, why isn't there more focus on domestic violence?: “Other stats that Dubus points to show how effective the High Risk Team's approach has been: Ninety-five percent of women have been able to stay in their homes, 78% of the offenders have been before the courts -- and of those who have been to court, 65% have served time. ‘The reason that's important, not only is this about accountability, but ... when a violent perpetrator is behind bars for 90 days, 180 days or a year, that gives (the victim) incredible time to safety plan, to change her life,’”…Read more
I Know Where You've Been: Digital Spying And Divorce In The Smartphone Age: “With her suspicions raised after discovering the GPS tracker, M went to an Apple store for help locating spyware on her phone. She says the Genius Bar employees didn't look for the spyware; instead they helped her by swapping the device for a brand new one. But that meant that the evidence, if any, went along with the phone. This is common in spyware cases, in which victims solve the immediate problem but can't present proof for an investigation…People who believe they are victims have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to get a private investigator who specializes in digital forensics to diagnose their smartphones or laptops”…Read more

Parents' and Youth Service Providers' Section

Resources for Addressing Sexual Assault and Harassment in Class: “With stories of sexual harassment and assault constantly in the news these days, we know that many educators are looking for resources to address this topic with students. Current events may raise questions or spark conversations about rape culture, sexist language, physical and online harassment and more. We hope the following Teaching Tolerance resources help as you consider ways to both inform and protect your students”…View resources here
Could the #MeToo Movement Change Sex Ed.?: “Fewer than half the states require schools to include the topic of ‘avoiding coercion’ as part of a sex ed. program and similarly, a majority don’t require discussion of healthy relationships…At the very least, #MeToo has unleashed a torrent of examples of sexual harassment of school-age children: Hundreds of students are now sharing their stories under that hashtag and a companion, #MeTooK12, which was begun by Stop Sexual Assault in Schools”…Read more
Teaching Consent Doesn't Have to Be Hard: “So how do you teach consent? Start by building up students' knowledge of boundaries. In our lessons, students learn three important things about personal boundaries: they are self-created, they need to be respected and they can change. Every person gets to decide what they're OK with and what they're not OK with. Boundaries can change depending on who they're with, what they're doing or where they are (like home versus school). Boundaries can also shift over time”…Read more
The Five Days of Action is "a week designed to raise awareness and inspire adults to take action to protect children from sexual abuse. The YMCA Guardians for Child Protection, with support from YMCA of the USA, Darkness to Light, the Redwoods Group Foundation, and Praesidium are encouraging all YMCAs to join together to protect children leading up to Healthy Kids Day®--a national initiative to improve the health and well-being of kids. This year's theme is: Step Up & Speak Out! We’re providing tools and resources to make it easier than ever before to participate”…Download the free action kit here
Love Better: One Love Foundation seeks “to educate young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships.” Watch the video “for the pop-up store they set up and surprised people with on Valentine’s Day. Take the pledge to #LoveBetter at www.joinonelove.org/lovebetter” …Watch the video here

Sesame Street in Communities: This website for providers and parents has videos, activities, and worksheets for kids birth-age 6 on topics like Traumatic Experiences, Coping with Incarceration, Dealing with Divorce, Exploring Emotions, Helping Kids Grieve, Offering Comfort, Resilience, and more. They also have professional development training videos, webinars, courses, and more. Check it out here.
5 Essential Media Literacy Questions for Kids: “Whether in the classroom or at home, help kids think critically about any media they view with critical questions that dig below the surface. Use these five essential questions as a springboard, and help kids dig deeper with even more critical questions of their own. And to really empower kids, have them create their own media with these same questions in mind. Click here to download a student worksheet modeled after the five questions in this video. And for additional lesson plans, videos, student handouts, and more on this topic, see our News & Media Literacy Toolkit”…Read more
Helping Children Regain Their Emotional Safety After a Tragedy: “When tragedy strikes, the results are traumatic both for those directly affected and for the community of people who know them or identify with them. Although we cannot control the fact that a tragedy has taken place, adults can do a great deal to help children regain their emotional safety. The following Kidpower recommendations are consistent with the advice from trauma experts from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Association for the Education of Young Children”…Read more
PACER’s All In Anti-Bullying Lessons: “Register for the free [weekly] year-long classroom resources designed to create environments in which every student is included, involved, and invested in preventing and addressing bullying”…Preview and register here

Resources

National Women’s Law Center’s That’s Harassment Resources: “Employers play an important role in ending our culture of pervasive sexual harassment, and creating safe and equitable workplaces. Need some help getting started? These resources outline ideas for critical workplace strategies and changes, and information about effective policies and training, to strengthen employer efforts to address and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace”…View resources here

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March 2018 Community Education E-bulletin

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