Comprehensive Abuse Prevention
Preventing abuse before it is perpetrated requires the bravery and skills to initiate hard conversations, work for social change, and advocate for safe communities. IMPACT gives people the experience of being effective in the face of fear as well as useful strategies to channel that confidence toward prevention.
What we‘ve learned from IMPACT graduates‘ success at fighting off attackers is that many of the skills they used have the potential to prevent violence before it gets to that point.
IMPACT‘s Comprehensive Abuse Prevention programs are designed to give people the skills to advocate for healthy relationships and sexual respect and to engage people they know in constructive conversations about abusive or potentially abusive behaviors. IMPACT‘s Comprehensive Prevention programs not only give people the skills to protect their own safety, but also help them learn to be effective change agents in their communities.
Most people will be scared when speaking up to change attitudes about sexual violence in their schools or communities.
Most people will be scared when talking to someone about his or her abusive behavior.
IMPACT gives people the experience of being scared and powerful at the same time.
IMPACT‘s prevention programs build skills in:
- Initiating hard conversations about abusive or potentially abusive behaviors
- Working toward changes in community expectations
- Protecting children from unhealthy attention
- Standing up to sexual harassment
- Maintaining physical safety while initiating conversations with people who might be at risk to perpetrate abuse
IMPACT‘s Prevention Initiatives for Community Leaders
FaithIMPACT is a new initiative that gives clergy and lay leaders the skills to protect themselves from imminent harm, intervene effectively when an incident of abuse has occurred, promote healthy relationships and sexual respect in their congregations, and prevent burnout by setting limits in their work lives. In their position as spiritual leaders in their communities, clergy often find themselves in the position either of being targets of violence or first responders when an incident of domestic or sexual abuse is alleged. FaithIMPACT supports clergy in initiating difficult, honest conversations with individuals who may become defensive and gives them training they need to do so safely.
Peer IMPACT is a new initiative designed to give teens the skills to create a school culture that supports healthy and positive relationships as well as challenging abuse and harassment. Students gain the skills to initiate difficult conversations, increase their awareness about sexual assault, and have the opportunity to identify positive expectations for themselves and others.
