Conferences

Ending Violence Without Violence: 2020-2021 Virtual Training Series

September 2020-June 2021
Virtual Conference

“Ending Violence Without Violence” was originally conceived by the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Seven Dancers Coalition, and Interrupting Criminalization: Research in Action Project to be a statewide conference focusing on sexual violence prevention, intervention, and response. This conference was intended to provide a space for survivors, advocates, counselors, victim assistance programs, allied organizations, and community members across New York State and Haudenosaunee Country to develop the knowledge, skills, and courage to implement community-centered practices to prevent and respond to harm and sexual violence. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person conference was cancelled.

Instead, we are pleased to host a virtual training series of the same name, “Ending Violence Without Violence” throughout September 2020 through June 2021. The series will introduce participants to the core principles of Restorative Justice, Transformative Justice, Community Accountability, and other community-centered approaches to violence prevention and response.

Participants will develop a shared analysis of interpersonal violence—specifically sexual violence—and a shared understanding of the importance of community-based approaches to sexual violence prevention and intervention. The webinar series will underscore the importance of building communities that can prevent sexual violence, respond to harm, and heal trauma.

Access recordings and resources from past events.

Creating Partnerships and Policy for Healing and Prevention

May 22-23, 2018
SUNY University at Albany Downtown Campus, 153 Western Avenue, Albany, NY

The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA) invites rape crisis counselors,
violence prevention advocates/educators, and community partners to join each other for a
1.5 day interactive training and discussion on the intersections of policy, oppression, and
survivor healing and justice. Presented by NYSCASA staff in collaboration with Jean Fei, Racial
Justice Trainer & Consultant and former NY State Victim Assistance Academy Director for
NYSCASA.

Click here to download the conference agenda.

Weaving a World Without Violence: Transformative Possibilities

September 14-16, 2017
The Desmond Hotel Albany, 660 Albany Shaker Rd, Albany, NY 12211

The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Holding Our Own, Inc. invite community members; rape crisis programs; and leaders, organizers, and professionals from the advocacy, health care, mental health, community organizing, criminal justice, campus, law enforcement, and human services fields to attend our 2017 sexual assault prevention and intervention conference, Weaving a World Without Violence: Transformative Possibilities.

This year’s conference invites attendees to think critically about approaches to ending sexual violence; to reimagine current mainstream responses, programs, and policies from a transformative justice lens; and to explore grassroots community alternatives to sexual violence intervention and prevention.

Weaving a World Without Violence: Transformative Possibilities is a multi-day, multi-track, statewide conference on September 14-16 with opening and closing plenaries, workshops, and panels that may include the following areas of focus:

• Beyond Programs and Prisons: Community alternatives and thinking beyond the system to address sexual violence and build community accountability
• Institutional Advocacy: Challenging frameworks, interrupting harm, and creating alliances in institutional settings
• All or None: Uplifting the agency, knowledge, and needs of marginalized communities and identities and building a stronger anti-violence movement
• Self Care to Community Care: Nourishing and sustaining communities that can prevent sexual violence and heal trauma

Click here to download a conference program.

Weaving a World Without Violence: Ending Rape by Ending Oppression

March 29-30, 2016
189 Wolf Road, Albany, NY 12205

This two-day conference is filled with multi-track workshops on Social Justice, Prevention, Institutional Advocacy (campus, prison, military) and Self Care, and will feature two nationally acclaimed keynote speakers, Loretta Ross and Aleese Moore-Orbih, as well as highly dynamic lunch plenaries with Jenn Nadler and Ebony Williams.

This event is designed to provide a trauma-informed forum for rape crisis programs and allied individuals to network and learn ideas to apply to their work in the sexual assault field and related human service sites where survivors seek supports of any kind. As a society, we must acknowledge sexual violence as a human rights issue, not solely a woman’s issue, and continue developing new ways to prevent and respond to rape and abuse in our culture.

Click here to download the conference program.

Weaving a World Without Violence: Sexual Assault Prevention and Intervention Conference

June 3-4, 2014
Pat’s Barn at Rensselaer Technology Park, 110 Defreest Drive, Troy, NY

The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault proudly presents the 2014 Statewide Sexual Violence Prevention and Intervention Conference: Weaving a World Without Violence. We are hosting this conference to provide an opportunity to gather experts from all over the state and nation, in all fields dealing with responding to, preventing, or healing from sexual violence. We will be presenting a series of workshops and speakers, bringing attendees high quality training from experts in the field. We are also offering the chance to network with others doing this work so that we may all contribute to a larger body of knowledge and expertise. Our aim is to increase participants’ skills and inspire a recommitment to this work through new, exciting presentations and interactions.

A Word on Our Theme: Weaving a World Without Violence

As you attend the workshops throughout this conference, we ask that you be aware of the ways the work we do is interconnected. Whether serving victims, providing education to youth, training experts in another field, or encountering survivors in our everyday work, we are all here because we care about creating a world free from violence. Please take a moment during the busy schedule of this conference to reflect on the connections that we can all make between our fields, and how interwoven the various fights against injustices are.

Weaving a World Without Violence: Sexual Assault Prevention and Intervention Conference

May 9-10, 2012
Holiday Inn, 205 Wolf Road, Albany, NY

The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault proudly presents the 2012 Statewide Sexual Violence Prevention and Intervention Conference: Weaving a World Without Violence. We are hosting this conference to provide an opportunity to gather experts from all over the state and nation, in all fields dealing with responding to, preventing, or healing from sexual violence. We will be presenting a series of workshops and speakers, bringing attendees high quality training from experts in the field. We are also offering the chance to network with others doing this work so that we may all contribute to a larger body of knowledge and expertise. Our aim is to increase participants’ skills and inspire a recommitment to this work through new, exciting presentations and interactions.

A Word on Our Theme: Weaving a World Without Violence

As you attend the workshops throughout this conference, we ask that you be aware of the ways the work we do is interconnected. Whether serving victims, providing education to youth, training experts in another field, or encountering survivors in our everyday work, we are all here because we care about creating a world free from violence. Please take a moment during the busy schedule of this conference to reflect on the connections that we can all make between our fields, and how interwoven the various fights against injustices are. You will notice that we have categorized the workshops for this conference into five different tracks: Primary Prevention, Underserved Populations, Criminal Justice, Mental Health/Trauma, and Self-Care. In keeping with our theme of interwoven connections, we invite you to feel free to mix and match from the various tracks, attending whichever workshops appeal to you.

Click here to download the conference program.

Preventing Sexual Violence: Strengthening a Collaborative Response

June 26-27, 2006
Hyatt Regency Hotel and Conference Center, Buffalo, NY

Collaborative Response is scheduled for June 26-27, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo. The program starts with some amazing presenters: Dr Joy Degruy-Leary on Post-traumatic Slave Syndrome and Sexual Violence; Dr. Robert McGrath providing a comprehensive overview of what we need to know about sex offenders to educate our communities effectively; Ben Atherton-Zeman performing and talking about engaging men on college campuses; and Lydia Guy from the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs providing a community development model for creating prevention education programs. We will also hear an overview of the Centers for Disease Control’s new prevention initiatives.

Click here to download the conference program.