To submit announcements for inclusion in NYSCASA’s Monthly Digest, send updates to info@nyscasa.org with “Newsletter” in the subject line.

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Member Spotlight: Anti-Violence Project Staff Quoted in Rolling Stone

Audacia Ray, Director of Community Organizing and Public Advocacy at the Anti-Violence Project, one of NYSCASA's Member Rape Crisis Programs, was interviewed and quoted in a Rolling Stone article about how Drag Queen Story Hour is navigating the need for community safety amid anti-LGBTQ attacks and threats of violence.

“Safety comes from relationships,” Audacia Ray tells Rolling Stone. “It comes from building relationships with your neighbors, with other groups in your community that might not be drag queens, but might be folks who are concerned about kids having access to information, people who care about libraries, people who care about public spaces. That’s also how we start to build understanding across many different identities. Different members of the community getting to know each other — meeting a drag queen, having a conversation.”

Click here to read the article.

FreeFrom is launching a cash assistance fund for survivors who need help in covering the costs to safely get an abortion. We cannot talk about economic safety and physical safety for survivors without reproductive justice. Survivors must have access to healthcare services and full control over their own bodies. This will be a nationwide fund that any survivor of gender-based violence can apply to in order to cover the full costs associated with getting an abortion out of state, such as transportation, lodging, etc.

FreeFrom is currently fundraising to support this effort. Every dollar donated will go directly to survivors in need of covering costs to access an abortion. Donations are 100% tax deductible. Click here to learn more about how to contribute. Please share among your networks!

For a complete list of upcoming events and training opportunities, visit NYSCASA's Community Calendar at www.nyscasa.org/calendar.

The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will disproportionately impact LGBTQ+ people, BIPOC, immigrants, people of lower socio-economic status as well as survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. This discussion, hosted by ValorUS, will focus on how to support those working to end sexual violence across state lines that will be most impacted by this ruling and to build solidarity across movements to advance equity. Spanish interpretation and real-time closed captioning will be provided.

Click here to register.

NYS-based victim services staff and volunteers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) are invited to participate in NYSCASA's monthly BIPOC peer support calls. These informal conversations are a space for those of us who work or volunteer at a sexual assault/domestic violence/victim services organization in New York State and identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a person of color to get grounded and connected, discuss how we’re doing, and strategize and share resources with each other.

Our next call is on Thursday, July 14, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM. Register to join these monthly calls here.

NYS-based victim services staff/volunteers/survivors and other folks working with survivors are invited to participate in this peer sharing and learning collaborative focused on expressive arts for trauma informed wellness, preventing and addressing vicarious trauma and sharing vital practices. Please come and share your unique forms of self-expression that help you navigate the rapids of our turbulent times.

These informal, 1-hour conversations will be facilitated by Chrys Ballerano, Deb Faust, Fran Collet and Karen Ziegler. Arts & Hearts is a collaborative effort of NYSCASA's Building Connections: Sexual Assault and Mental Health Project and the Mental Health Association in New York State.

Register for this meeting here.

Last month, the NYS Assembly and Senate passed legislation (A9596A/S7867A) that provides for a statewide electronic tracking system for sexual assault forensic evidence kits, also commonly known as "rape kits." The legislation would create an electronic database for survivors who obtain a rape kit and allow them to access information about their forensic evidence samples. Currently, survivors of sexual violence do not have a way to track the location or status of the evidence collected for the kits, and many completed kits sit on the shelf for weeks, months, or years after collection. The legislation now heads to Governor Kathy Hochul's desk for signature.

NYSCASA is hopeful that this measure will ensure survivors have access to accurate information about evidence they provide for sexual assault forensic evidence kits and to be part of the process. We continue to emphasize the importance of protecting the collected DNA evidence and the confidentiality and privacy of survivors' personal information. We look forward to collaborating with state agencies tasked with tracking and storing sexual assault forensic evidence kits to ensure implementation is survivor-centered and trauma-informed.

On June 13, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a comprehensive six-bill legislative package that offers protections for patients seeking abortion and medical professionals who provide reproductive healthcare in anticipation of a final decision from the Supreme Court on Dobbs v. Jackson:

Click here to learn more, and click here to read NYSCASA's statement regarding the SCOTUS draft opinion leaked in May and find resources for abortion care seekers and allies.

NYSCASA and our partners at the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) are delighted to announce that we will be joining together to host and moderate prevention related discussions via NYSCADV's established prevention listserv.

The New York State Prevention Community Listserv will be a discussion group jointly hosted and moderated by NYSCADV and NYSCASA. The purpose of this listserv is to provide a forum for discussion, sharing resources and support, and a mechanism for collaboratively developing tools and strategies that can be utilized to support prevention strategies at the local, regional and statewide levels.

Listserv subscribers are comprised of prevention stakeholders across the state, which includes but is not limited to: member programs of both NYSCADV and NYSCASA, NYS partner agencies, community partners, organizational allies and funders. Any prevention educators and member program staff tasked with designing and implementing prevention activities, programming, and strategies in their community are encouraged to subscribe and contribute to what will surely be a robust statewide dialogue.

What you need to do: If you are an individual who was already a member of the NYSCADV's Prevention Community Listserv, you don't need to do a thing. You are automatically subscribed to the "new" listserv. If you have not already joined, please take a moment to sign up by clicking here. Please allow up to 5 business days for processing. You will receive a welcome email once processing is complete.

Our neighbors at Prevent Child Abuse Vermont have several opportunities for you to learn about proven effective child abuse prevention strategies. Each training will be held virtually and costs $25.

PCAVT is also offering a Training of Facilitators for their school-based curriculum, the Healthy Relationships Project, on August 17-18. This two-day training will equip attendees with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement this school-based child sexual abuse prevention curricula. The Healthy Relationships Project helps schools to meet Erin's Law requirements by providing lessons for Pre K - 8th grade, Faculty and Staff trainings, as well as caregiver engagement.

This training is free to attend and requires that attendees have the curricula on hand while participating. ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds can be used to purchase curricula. Should your organization wish to purchase a set that can be done here: https://www.pcavt.org/trainings-and-curricula

Prevent Child Abuse Vermont also offers a preview of the curricula for 30 days for $100 (non-refundable, but if you purchase the $100 applies as a down payment). To order a preview or to purchase via Purchase Order, please reach out to kgrant@pcavt.org

Training will occur on Wednesday, August 17th and Thursday, August 18th from 10 am-12 pm. Attendance on both days will be required.

NYSCASA is building supportive spaces for college students to discuss the complexity of sexual violence and how it affects student life. The goal is to establish sustainable, multi-level, community-specific approaches to address sexual violence on college campuses. The Student Activist Network Against Sexual Assault (SANASA) will develop a statewide network of strong student activists leading efforts to increase campus engagement in genuinely and meaningfully meeting students’ needs through networking and sharing resources.

Through the SANASA, student-led activist groups across New York State will receive training, peer support, and customized assistance during a two-year period. Together, we’ve already begun assessing the unique needs and resources on each campus. Students will also find commonalities and overarching issues amongst their peers across the state. The SANASA will address these issues as they emerge, ensuring that student voices are centered.

The SANASA can support up to five student-led groups and we are actively seeking three more groups to join. If you are interested or know someone who may be, please contact E Bjorkman at ebjorkman@nyscasa.org to learn more about how to get involved.

College students are calling for more comprehensive prevention education on campus. Students are dependent on their institutions for the quality of their prevention education and schools often turn to online modules that aren’t properly preparing students for issues related to sexual and domestic violence. Students should have access to training sessions that are relevant to their experiences and meet their specific needs.

It's On Us is offering colleges/universities the opportunity to host free trainings presented by their Assistant Director of Trainings, Adrianna Branin. Potential one-hour training sessions include:

If you would like to host It's On Us Training Sessions on your campus this fall, please fill out this request form.

RAFT (Resilience for Advocates through Foundational Training) works to improve the level of care for sexual and domestic violence survivors by supporting advocates in building resilience to compassion fatigue and burnout. Learn more about RAFT at raftcares.org.

Recent resources shared by RAFT:

RAFT offers a free 1-to-2-day training for DV/SA organizations about self-care and resilience with the goal of preventing staff burnout and the turnover associated with it. Click here to learn more and connect with RAFT.

The SOAR Collective aims to mobilize anti-violence advocates to demand accountability and revolutionize the way anti-violence organizations operate. Using an anti-oppression and anti-racism lens, The SOAR Collective supports victim service advocates while reimagining the movement.

The SOAR Collective offers training and consultation for anti-violence organizations and a free group chat on Discord for anti-violence advocates.

Recent resources shared by The SOAR Collective:

Visit our website to learn about employment opportunities at NYSCASA member rape crisis programs and ally organizations.

Do you have job announcements that you would like NYSCASA to share on our communications channels? Please send job announcements to info@nyscasa.org with “Job Announcement” in the subject line.

P.S. Your tax-deductible donation helps us promote victim services and prevention efforts that are high quality, trauma informed, culturally appropriate, and accessible.