6/18/2020
Your monthly news & updates
Welcome to the Anti-Violence Partnership's newsletter! Through this monthly email, we'll keep you up to date on everything that's happening at AVP. We'll highlight events we hold, people we cherish and news we think is relevant to the world of victim services.
AVP's Offices Are Closed
We regret that, for what is hopefully the last month, we have to open another newsletter with the note that our offices are still closed due to COVID-19. The good news is we're still hard at work-- if you need to contact us, everybody at AVP is working from home. Please email avp@avpphila.org or leave a voicemail at (215) 567-6776 (we will continue to check our voicemail!) and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Strange Fruit: The Sociocultural Embodiment of Homicide Violence
AVP will hold a training with Dr. Tanya L. Sharpe next Thursday, the 25th, from 10 am to 1 pm. We are co-sponsoring this event with the National Center for Victims of Crime.
Kendra Van de Water, Director of our Intra-Familial Homicide Initiative, has organized this incredible event. She writes:

"From calls for police accountability in the deaths of unarmed Black men and women, to the continued rise of gun violence in our city streets, homicide violence and its disproportionate impact on Black surviving family members and friends throughout our global community needs to be addressed. Research on homicide violence has typically been studied from two perspectives: the individual victim and the perpetrator. Though both perspectives are important, structural violence and the traumatic impact it has on individuals and communities must be understood in order to respond to the needs of survivors in a culturally responsive manner. This webinar will focus on how to conceptualize and address homicide violence and its impact on Black communities."

Dr. Sharpe is the founder and director of The CRIB (Centre for Research and Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims). We are honored to have her.

You can register here .
AVP's Statement in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter
As a subscriber to AVP's newsletter, you received our statement in solidarity with Black Lives Matter two weeks ago. It expresses our frustrations with existing institutions and our awe at the people who are trying to change them.

If you haven't read it, you can find our statement here .
Zoom Support Groups
If you engage in face-to-face therapy, our current quarantine could be hitting you hard. Everybody needs to communicate, and this temporary age of isolation isn't making that any easier than it would normally be. Our clinicians started a couple of online support groups last month-- each one is conducted by two members of our team over Zoom.

Follow the links under these fliers to give us some basic information, and we'll be in touch to see if the group is right for you!
Guided Meditation
Our therapists have taken to Instagram and have been running live guided meditation sessions every Monday at 3 pm!
It's easy to feel isolated during quarantine. That's, you know, what quarantine means. These sessions have been a great way to focus on mindfulness with live people. The longer this goes on outside, the more important it is to remember to take some time to establish an inner peace.

The sessions are free and open to everybody!
Meet AVP
A few words from Homicide Preliminary Hearing Coordinator Heather Arias
What's your job title at AVP and how would you describe what you do here?

I currently hold the position of Homicide Preliminary Hearing Coordinator with Families of Murder Victims. I assist families by being a liaison between victims' families and prosecutors, detectives and others. I will reach out to families and let them know that there is a preliminary hearing coming up in their loved ones case and what to expect. I am available to answer questions for them and hold their hand through the preliminary hearing process. The goal is to never let them feel like they are alone in this. 

Why did you decide to get into victim services?

Being in victim services is probably one of the most fulfilling fields to find yourself in. For me it began as an internship with FMV. That internship changed my life and I knew this was the field for me. You help victims & families of victims navigate through some of the toughest times in their lives & that in itself is the most rewarding feeling. I'm very proud of the work I do.  

What part of your job means the most to you?  

Making sure families are aware of what’s going on in their loved ones case at all times is probably one of the most important aspects of my job. You can never predict or control the outcome of a case but you can make sure you are always there for the family should they need anything or have any questions.

Is there anything you'd like to focus more of your effort toward as you further define your role here?   

I’d like to create a network of different victim service agencies around the country. Victims families are not always local. Services should be available to families regardless of where they live. 
Special Thanks to Casey



Unfortunately, this is our last month with Clinical Director Casey McGovern. Casey has been with AVP for 12 years and will be staying on as a consultant, but we'll miss having her around on a full-time basis. Thanks so much, Casey!
Resources
Social distancing, school closures and the decision by many businesses to have employees work from home has hurt everybody in ways we may not have been able to predict. Below, find a number of resources that can help in this chaotic time: