How can violence be prevented before it begins?

To guide our prevention work, we are inspired by the Prevention Institute to define prevention as “a systematic process that promotes healthy environments and behaviors and reduces the likelihood or frequency of violence against women occurring.” To do this, we focus on rethinking and reframing our anti-domestic violence work to address root causes, shift culture, build leadership and promote healthy relationships.

Domestic violence is a serious public health issue that calls for individual, relational, community, and societal approaches to stopping violence before it starts. By shifting our lens, understanding historical context, focusing on community organizing, and developing an awareness of intersections of oppression, together we can move forward to a domestic violence-free Wisconsin.

We envision promising prevention strategies that work with people and systems to challenge gender, race, and class stereotypes and oppressive norms while defining new ways to be a more positive, equitable, and just society.

Statewide Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative Overview Dare2Know Campaign Evaluating Primary Prevention Annual Teen Summit

Statewide Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative Overview

Our Statewide Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative is comprised of three major efforts outlined below: The Dare2Know Campaign, the Grant Program, and the Annual Teen Summit.

Questions about any of these efforts can be directed to the End Abuse Director of Prevention & Outreach, Stephanie Ortiz at StephanieO@endabusewi.org / (608) 237-3458.

History of How We Got Here

We wouldn’t be here without the foundational work of the past. The following documents outline some past efforts which have led to End Abuse’s current prevention work.

Report to End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin On Prevention Information and Feedback Listening Sessions Held Spring 2016: End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin coordinated listening sessions to talk with domestic violence and sexual assault experts, culturally specific program providers, and youth coordinators around the state. The goal of the sessions was to get information and recommendations from participants about culturally appropriate prevention programming and practice that can support healthy vibrant relationships and violence-free communities.

Forward To A Domestic Violence-Free Wisconsin: Statewide Plan for the Primary Prevention of Domestic Violence: Domestic violence is a critical public health issue that calls for community-oriented approaches to stopping violence before it can begin. In 2006 the Governor’s Council Prevention Committee began meeting to create a statewide Primary Prevention of Domestic Violence Plan, resulting in the approval in April 2009 of a five-year strategic plan. This plan is currently using a public health approach to benefit the largest group possible; it builds the capacity of individuals, organizations, and systems to more effectively identify, implement, and evaluate strategies that can prevent the first-time perpetration. The development and implementation of this plan would not have been possible without support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention DELTA project, the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the Domestic Violence Program of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

Dare2Know Campaign

Dare2Know (D2K) is a statewide prevention initiative working to stop violence before it begins by engaging youth in valuing their voice, persuading their peers, and connecting with their community. The first of its kind in our state, it is a challenge and a movement for teens and adult mentors to rally around healthy relationships. Learn more and get involved here!

What you can find on the website:

  • Likes or Yikes Quiz
    • Online relationship scenario quiz.
  • Teen Ambassador program
    • Free to sign up & get involved!
  • Adult mentors
    • Learn how to support youth within the campaign with the Adult Mentor Toolkit!
    • Educate yourself on root causes of violence.
  • Resources
    • All resources are free to use!
  • Events & news
    • Stay up-to-date with what Dare2Know is doing around the state.
  • Contact us
    • Need additional info? Reach out to the team!
  • D2K Store
    • Support the campaign AND look great doing it in Dare2Know branded merchandise to purchase!

Evaluating Primary Prevention

ITEM BANK

The item bank is a resource created by The Improve Group for designing data collection tools to evaluate gender violence Prevention. View this short video, Item Bank Webinar End Abuse, to learn how to understand and use the item bank to create your own gender violence prevention evaluation tool!

When you are ready to start creating your gender violence prevention evaluation tool, check out the Item Bank!

RESOURCES RELATED TO PREVENTION EVALUATION

Coalition Chronicles-30-1 Taking the Pulse-Evaluation Resources and Insights: Crafting a concise plan into programming that includes evaluation can have a tremendous impact on services and all the work we do. End Abuse has begun thinking about evaluation as a wraparound effort – assessment, implementation, and reflection. Evaluation is the work we do first and the decisions we make to get a project going. It’s connected to our daily, weekly or monthly endeavors to accomplish our goals. And it is ways we measure if we succeed and to what degree.

Annual Teen Summit

Each year, we hold a conference for youth that is planned by our statewide Teen Council. Alongside over 500 youth and adult mentors from around Wisconsin, we critically examine violence prevention and anti-oppression work, with a focus on amplifying the voices of young people in promoting healthy relationships. Learn more about the Teen Summit here!

Other pages in this section

Education
End Abuse provides a variety of educational opportunities to advocates, law enforcement, legislators, and community members to enable them to better serve survivors throughout WI.
Public Policy Advocacy
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin mobilizes advocates, survivors, and concerned individuals to make policy changes that will support survivors and help end domestic violence.
Outreach to Underserved Communities
End Domestic Abuse WI has a long history of supporting underserved and under-represented communities - including communities of color, those in later life, the LQBTQI+ community, people with disabilities, children and youth, immigrants and refugees, and tribal communities - in...
Legal Services
Our legal team is a leader in educating advocates, attorneys, judges and others on the best responses to domestic abuse. In addition, we advocate for changes in laws and legal practices to improve the legal system for survivors.
Human Trafficking Awareness
End Abuse provides resources, training and technical assistance to programs serving domestic violence survivors, including survivors of human trafficking. Sex trafficking survivors face unique challenges to recovery and safety.
Engaging Youth
The children and youth program offers training, information, and resources for those working with youth. Also providing leadership opportunities for teens to develop skills they can use to educate their peers.
Economic Empowerment
Financial independence is key to domestic abuse survivors’ ability to live successful, violence-free lives. In partnership with local programs, we address economic needs and challenges so survivors can break free of violence.
Coordinated Community Response
For CCR and other DV/SA-focused multidisciplinary teams seeking to improve their community's response to domestic violence, sexual violence, and other forms of oppression.

Be The Change

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