Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is national Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). It is a month devoted to raising awareness of the societal issue of domestic violence (including dating, intimate partner, and relationship violence). We take this time to honor survivors of domestic violence and inspire people to take action to end domestic violence.
This month we are focused on promoting survivor resources, educating our community on how each of us can support survivors in our lives, while working on building a culture of care that is rooted in healthy relationships.
We encourage you to participate in the DVAM events listed below and follow our @bewellwwu Instagram account for more information.
Every person deserves to be treated with love, dignity and respect.
Support for Western Students
If you are a Western student who is experiencing or has experienced relationship abuse, sexual violence, stalking or harassment, you are not alone and support is available through Western's Survivor Advocacy Services.
We are here to support you and help you heal from your experiences of violence/abuse. This service is for Western students. We affirm people of all identities and lived experiences. Please note, you do not have to identify yourself as a survivor or use the terms violence/abuse to describe your experience or in order to receive support.
If you are a concerned friend, partner, or family member of a Western student, support is also available for you.
Survivor Advocacy Services for Western Students
Off-campus Support/Faculty and Staff Resources
If you are looking for an off-campus resource or you are not a Western student, support is available.
Art-Based Support Group
Survivors are invited to join our art-based support group, a safe space for survivors of violence to support one another in healing. Available to and affirming of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Art supplies are provided.
Survivor Self-care Guide
There are many ways to feel, cope, and heal after experiencing sexual assault or an abusive relationship. Please feel free to download our Survivor Self-care Guide and use what resonates with you.
Be part of the solution by participating in DVAM events at Western throughout the month of October. Check back often for a list of upcoming events for 2022, and follow the @BeWellWWU account on Instagram for updates.
DVAM Kick-Off in Red Square
Stop by our table in Red Square to help us kick off DVAM at WWU! Pick up a purple DVAM ribbon, consent stickers, Healthy Relationships checklist, and more.
Free T-shirts available at our table while supplies last!
Create a Relationships Vision Board!
Come create your own vision board about the love and relationships—platonic, romantic, and everything in between—that each of us are worthy of. All art supplies will be provided, and you will leave with some Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) swag. Hosted by Survivor Advocacy Services as a part of DVAM.
Healthy Relationship Skills for Kids and Families
Are you a parent, student, or community member who works with or cares for children? One important way to contribute to ending domestic violence is modeling and teaching healthy relationship skills with children. Join the Counseling and Wellness Center and other staff, faculty, and people who care for children to learn together and share tools for teaching young people about healthy relationships.
Supporting Survivors Staff and Faculty Training
Faculty and staff, including student staff and teaching assistants, are invited to participate in a training on supporting student survivors. This interactive training, co-hosted by Survivor Advocacy Services and the office for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance will cover the roles and responsibilities for faculty and staff.
This training focuses on how each of us can have a role in supporting students who have experienced sexual violence/harassment in our community. We will review employee reporting requirements, all available resources, and options. Includes practice providing resources and support when a student discloses.
Please register for the training so we know how many participants to expect.
Cultivate a Culture of Consent at WWU!
Do you want to learn how to cultivate and contribute to a culture of consent in your classroom, workplace, student group?
Join Liz Stuart, Assistant Director of Outreach and Health Promotion, and Deidre Evans, Survivor Advocacy Services Coordinator, from the Counseling and Wellness Center for this Domestic Violence Awareness Month Lunch and Learn. You will leave with tangible resources that you can implement in your communities to promote healthy relationships and consent culture.
Survivor Listening Session
Join the WWU Civil Rights and Title IX Office and the Office of Governmental Relations this Friday, Oct. 25, from 3-4:30 PM in Fraser 101 for a Sexual Assault Survivor Listening Session with WA state representatives Vandana Slatter and Tina Orwell facilitated by Fairhaven alum Naira.
The first half of the listening session will give students context into Title IX and previous legislative work and provide information on campus and local resources. There will be a small survey about sexual assault during the session. The second half of the session is reserved for students only; it will center student voices with firsthand student survivor testimony. On-site support will be available from Counseling and Wellness Center therapists and the WWU Survivor Advocate if any student is wanting confidential space to receive support throughout the conversation.
Supporting Survivors
Hosted by Make.Shift Art Space, this workshop will cover the basics of trauma-informed communication, skills for fostering empowerment, and exercises for taking care of yourself while supporting others. Part of the Scene Safety Workshop Series. The workshop fee is $15, and a sliding scale is available.
Transformative Justice Learning Lab
Hosted by Make.Shift Art Space and the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, this workshop will cover the tenets of Transformative Justice and will lead participants through the process of pod-building—a tool to prevent violence and harm by creating intentional communities. The workshop fee is $15, and a sliding scale is available.
Resource & Repair
Hosted by Make.Shift Art Space, in this 2-hour workshop, join Raizel Sinason (they/them) to explore the internal and external dimensions of conflict, as well as tools for building resilient communities capable of transforming harm. The workshop fee is $15, and a sliding scale is available.
Summit on Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & People
The Whatcom County Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence is hosting a FREE all-day event, Whatcom County Summit on
Missing & Murdered Indigenous
Women & People, on Nov. 20 at the PeaceHealth St. Luke's Community Health Education Center, located at 3333 Squalicum Parkway in Bellingham. Lunch will be provided, as well as a light refreshments.
Learn more about what domestic violence is and how you can support those in your life who might be experiencing abuse.
Healthy relationships are built on good communication, fun and fulfillment, equality and partnership, enjoying personal time/freedom, respect, trust, honesty, and conflict resolution. Take some time to check in about your relationships.
DVAM Flyer
Promote Domestic Violence Awareness Month in your department by printing and posting our DVAM flyer during the month of October.
And, if you would like additional DVAM information, including Survivor Advocacy Services handbills and resources on healthy relationships, email Deidre Evans, WWU Survivor Advocate.