Welcome to this edition of NYSCASA’s email newsletter, where we share recent items of interest with our community.

Interested in sharing your news with the community? Send us an email with "Newsletter" in the subject line. Please contact Anna Woodworth: awoodworth@nyscasa.org

We want to hear from you! Advocates, programs, and survivors doing work in the field are why we’re here. Please reach out to NYSCASA with needs, concerns, and updates. 

Upcoming Events

JAN.

10

FORUM: Ulster County Human Trafficking Informational Forum: The Complex Reality of Human Trafficking

10:00AM - 12:00PM EST: The Interagency Council on Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking is hosting the 5th Annual Ulster County Human Trafficking Informational Forum on Wednesday: the forum is free, virtual, and open to the public. Jasmine Grace will be sharing her story as a survivor of sex trafficking, illustrating the intersectionality of human trafficking with other forms of abuse. Register for the forum at this link. 

JAN.

11

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day and National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month 

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Month, where we recognize and dedicate time to learning more about how to prevent and respond to human trafficking, a form of human slavery. Thursday, Jan. 11 marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Day: wear blue in solidarity and raise public awareness by using the #WearBlueDay hashtag.

JAN.

11

CONFERENCE: NYC Child Trafficking Prevention Virtual Conference: Evolving Safety Through Prevention, Intervention and Mitigation

NYC Safe Harbour is hosting the NYC Child Trafficking Prevention Virtual Conference: participation is free, entirely online, and takes place over a three-week period. Attendees may participate in fifteen workshops hosted by experts in the field between Jan. 11 and Jan. 31; attendees must register for each workshop individually.

JAN.

13

FILM: Very Young Girls Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion at Albany Public Library

10:00AM - 12:30PM EST: Join us on Saturday for a free screening of Very Young Girls followed by a panel discussion. Presented in partnership with Albany County Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center, Very Young Girls is an eye-opening documentary that brings awareness to the shocking reality of sex trafficking in New York City. The film follows "barely adolescent girls" in real time through their experiences of abuse and sexual violence. Counselors will be on standby for viewers if needed, and light refreshments will be provided.

JAN.

18

National Stalking Awareness Day of Action and National Stalking Awareness Month

This January we also observe National Stalking Awareness Month, recognizing the impacts of stalking victimization in the United States. Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 is the first ever National Day of Action for Stalking Awareness: the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Research Center (SPARC) created an action guide for individuals and organizations to take, including wearing sparkly or shiny clothes and sharing social media posts to raise awareness for stalking victims/survivors. Victim advocates: be sure to check out SPARC's guide for supporting LGBTQ+ stalking victims.

JAN.

23

TRAINING: Engaging Men on College Campuses with Phil Burse and John Roberts from In Our Own Voices

1:00PM EST: Through this virtual training, Phil Burse and John Roberts will provide Enough is Enough (EiE) providers the knowledge and skill set to engage men on college campuses. This training focuses on male identities that are not often included in the conversation. Please note that this is only available to EiE folks.

JAN.

26

MEETING: First SANASA All-Campus Meeting of 2024

10:30AM EST: The Student Activist Network Against Sexual Assault (SANASA) encourages all college students and faculty interested in joining SANASA to join an All-Campus Meeting this spring 2024 semester. Meetings take place on the last Friday of each month beginning on Friday, Jan. 26. Email E at ebjorkman@nyscasa.org with any questions about SANASA and click below to register for the All-Campus Meetings.

JAN.

30

TRAINING: Engaging International Students Training with Shan Huang and Yifei Zhang from Womankind

1:00 - 2:30 PM EST: This virtual training will be focused on the ways for Enough is Enough (EiE) providers to effectively engage international students. During this training, Womankind will discuss unique aspects of the international student survivors' experience, share strategies and approach used for engagement, and recommend good practices for EiE providers to connect, support and empower international students. Please note that this is only available to EiE folks.

Recent Milestones and News

DEC.

14

NISVS 2016/2017 State Report

The CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention released the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2016/2017 State Report last month. The report provides data which focuses on the lifetime experiences of victimization at both national and state levels. These data are critical in understanding the significance of sexual violence, IPV, and stalking both within individual states and across demographic groups, and in identifying patterns to guide future strategies for violence prevention and response. 

DEC. 13

Community-Centered Evaluation Webinar

NYSCASA was pleased to host Maya Pilgrim’s webinar in December: Pilgrim has been supporting evaluative and learning efforts around preventing and addressing sexual violence and advocating for racial justice over the past ten years. Following up on their November 2023 presentation at the Primary Prevention Summit, Pilgrim’s December webinar showcased the collective efforts she has been engaged in for more than two decades, working to build more equitable and just communities in youth development, gender-based violence, reproductive justice, and racial justice. 

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Text is centered in image, reads quote by Kelly Wilt: "We all have diverse experiences that require some tending to by organizations to ensure our work is sustainable." A NYSCASA logo sits below text. All text is centered, placed on a teal background with purple shapes and white flower icons on the edges.

DEC.

7

Embodied Organizations: Using Somatics & Liberatory Frameworks to Mitigate Vicarious Trauma & Burnout Webinar

In the first week of December, NYSCASA was delighted to host Kelly Wilt’s webinar exploring new frameworks for mitigating vicarious trauma and burnout. Wilt is a national consultant and licensed psychotherapist with over fifteen years in the fields of sexual assault and trauma work. This session focused on how liberatory and somatic practices can shape a new foundation for our work and discussed strategies and principles we may incorporate into our work to construct an embodied organization.

Public Policy and Government Affairs

DEC.

8

Fair Access to Victim Compensation Act

Governor Hochul signed the Fair Access to Victim Compensation Act (FAVC) into law on December 8, 2023: this legislation lifts barriers for New Yorkers who have survived violence by expanding eligibility for victims and survivors of crime to access victim compensation funds. The life-changing law will take effect December 31, 2025. 

Program Highlights

Student Activist Network Against Sexual Assault (SANASA)

SANASA is excited to host experts from across the field to present to students on college campuses in the spring 2024 semester. 

During the fall 2023 semester, SANASA hosted four All-Campus Meetings. Some highlights include: 

• Strong Oak LeFebvre of Visioning BEAR Intertribal Coalition presented on Circle Process for Survivors 
• Jasmine Griffin-Inostroza of One Love discussed their membership structure and support systems 
• Scarlett Thompson of the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault shared their prevention-based Project DOT campaign and the OutSmart nightlife and safe environments curriculum 
• Aly Accardi Tarmin presented on the Instagram account New York Survivors, an infographic and digital story sharing platform for survivors and supporters. 

SANASA will continue hosting All-Campus Meetings open to all college students in February 2024. Please share this link with any and all folks who may be interested in joining SANASA.

If you're doing great work on college campuses and would like to share important highlights, updates, or news with the Student Activist Network, reach out to E at ebjorkman@nyscasa.org. 

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Screenshot of Training and Technical Assistance Center website landing page. Landing page reads: "The New York State Enough is Enough Technical Assistance and Training Center. We provide training for rape crisis and sexual violence programs." Overlay of photo with subject in blue shirt with curly, dark brown hair facing forward, smiling at individual with long hair, back of head visible.

Enough is Enough Training and Technical Assistance

Last month, NYSCASA, the Alliance, and OPDV launched the Training and Technical Assistance Enough is Enough website. Created under the guidance of Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) coordinators, the new website is for all to use in navigating New York Education Law 129-B. This launch builds upon eight years of EiE legislation, contributing new information as well as centralizing and revising older information to meet current needs. 

Our team is especially excited about the password protected provider portal where EiE providers can collaborate and share resources.

Some of the updated items contained in the website include: 

• Provider portal for EiE providers to collaborate and share resources 
• Student Survivor Toolkit
• Sample MOU for SART
• Archived webinars
• Specialized resources
• Provider portal for EiE providers to collaborate and share resources
• Updated onboarding videos for new EiE staff (coming soon!)  

Access the website at this link: www.trainingandtacenter.org

EiE providers: join us on January 23 and January 30 in participating in training opportunities:

• Tues. Jan. 23 (1:00 PM): Engaging Men on College Campuses with Phil Burse and John Roberts from In Our Own Voices
• Tues. Jan. 30 (1:00 PM): Engaging International Students Training with Shan Huang and Yifei Zhang from Womankind

See registration and more information about these training opportunities in the previous 'Upcoming Events' section.

Recent Publications and NYSCASA in the News

DEC.

6

NYSCASA and the Alliance: Statement Regarding Media Coverage of Failure to Handle Sexual Assault Cases

NYSCASA and the Alliance released a joint press release sharing their support of survivors/victims in the ongoing investigation by the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) into systemic issues at the New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. The statement responds to alarming headlines published in late 2023 regarding unprocessed rape kits and mistreatment by hospitals and law enforcement in New York City.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2024

Coalition Community SAAM Planning

Looking Ahead

NYSCASA continues to strengthen our connections with culturally specific organizations in New York and amplify the voices of victims/survivors and advocates in marginalized communities.

Our 2022-2023 Annual Report will be released soon: the publication highlights the important work the NYSCASA team and the Coalition community has accomplished over the past two years. The 22-23 Annual Report will be housed on the NYSCASA website.

Finally, our team continues to prepare for our Annual Meeting in June 2024.