|
What
is Prevention?
|
Shelter House has a prevention program that is funded through the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the FCADV (Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence) called DELTA (Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances). The program’s main focus is of course prevention; prevention of domestic violence to be exact. Where do you start trying to prevent domestic violence from occurring? We start with children and teens. Where do most children learn about relationships? Most children learn through imitation, by watching their parents or guardians, other teens and of course, the media (i.e. TV, movies, etc.). We start with teaching kids while they are young how to have healthy relationships. We hope this will eventually end the cycle of violence. In partnership with the DELTA Grant, we have taught our highly accredited Healthy Relationships Curriculum to teens in Walton County. We have also worked with a faith-based organization by teaching the teens the curriculum, then moved on to the women’s group, and eventually will bring this information to the men. Currently, we are still looking for a faith-based organization in Okaloosa County.
Shelter House has also worked with the Department of Juvenile Justice in Crestview to bring Teen Dating Violence to the boys and girls in the detention center. We are showing these youth how to have healthy relationships in hopes of preventing teen dating violence and domestic violence in later years.
Shelter House does presentations for the Pathways Program through Lakeview, which is a program for individuals with chemical dependencies. We talk about domestic violence, red flags and how to get help. Most of the women in this program have already had experience with domestic violence, so it is important to speak with them and let them know that they are not alone.
For the first time, we were able to teach two Teen Dating Violence Classes in a Walton County High School. We were very excited to be able to do this and look forward to continuing to bring this important information to more high school students next year.
The Okaloosa-Walton DVCC (Domestic Violence Coordinating Council) remains an important part in helping Shelter House’s vision of “All Relationships Violence Free”. This group gives us a voice and helps educate not only people who work in this field, but others who might never understand prevention and how to incorporate it into their own lives. The Prevention Committee is the core of this important campaign to educate our community. With education, we hope to change the “norms” in our society so that domestic violence is no longer tolerated or acceptable in Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
If you would like to be a part of this social change please contact our Prevention Coordinator at 850-243-1201. Topics for presentations include:
|
- Bullying
- Teen Dating Violence
- Domestic Violence 101
- What is Shelter House and how can you help?
- Faith-Based Communities - How can you help?
|
Continue to watch for exciting events for Domestic Violence Awareness Month which is October.
|
What the CDC is expecting of the DELTA Projects
Getting To Outcomes, or GTO, is the new 10 step process that the CDC is working on to help with the planning, implementing and evaluating the prevalence and prevention of intimate partner violence. These 10 steps are looking to be completed by May of 2008. The 10 steps of the process are:
|
1. Needs and Resources
2. Goals and Outcome Statements
3. evidence-based Strategies
4. Fit
5. Capacity
6. Plan
7. Implementation and Process Evaluation
8. Outcome Evaluation
9. Continuous Quality Improvement
10. Sustainability |
|
At the end of these 10 steps, it is expected that there will be a 5-8 year plan for preventing intimate partner violence in selected counties.
The other acronym used in this process is EE, or Empowerment Evaluation. This is a philosophy and not a concrete “thing” like
GTO. The CDC has provided funds to the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence
(FCADV) to hire an empowerment evaluator and a state coordinator, both of whom are available for technical assistance. The 10 principles of the EE philosophy are:
|
1. Improvement
2. Community Ownership
3. Inclusion
4. Democratic Participation
5. Social Justice
6. Community Knowledge
7. Evidence-based Strategies
8. Capacity Building
9. Organizational Learning
10. Accountability |
|
| Learn More About
Preventing Domestic Violence |
Click on each link below to preview the documents
|
|
|
|
