Join Our Team: Employment and Board of Directors Opportunities at NYSCASA

NYSCASA is currently hiring for three full-time staff positions: PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) Outreach Director, Public Policy Director, and EIE (Enough Is Enough) Campus Projects Director.

Visit our website to learn more about each position and how to apply: www.nyscasa.org/employment

We are also seeking candidates for NYSCASA’s Board of Directors. We are interested in candidates from all regions of New York State who have knowledge and skills in: nonprofit management; organizational planning; fundraising; finance; personnel management; legal matters; or public relations. For more information or to apply, please contact Joanne Zannoni, Executive Director, at jzannoni@nyscasa.org.

Action Requested: Update Your Contact Information

NYSCASA requests your assistance with ensuring that our mailing lists are up-to-date. Please help us achieve our goal of zero returned mail/emails in 2022!

Click here to complete a brief survey to update your contact information. Your answers will be read only by NYSCASA staff and will not be shared beyond for any purposes.

Questions? Contact Chel Miller, Communications Director, at cmiller@nyscasa.org

NYSCASA Member Spotlight: Violence Intervention Program / VIP Mujeres

The Violence Intervention Program (VIP Mujeres), one of NYSCASA’s Ally Organization Members, recently got a shout-out on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah!

Trevor Noah highlighted VIP’s work providing healing, housing, and economic justice to thousands of survivors of domestic and sexual violence in New York City. VIP is a Latina-led organization that is deeply rooted within, and specialized in providing culturally specific services to Latinx communities. Click here to watch the clip from The Daily Show, and click here to learn how to support VIP.

Victims of Crime Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis RFP/Q&A

The New York State Office of Victim Services recently released a Request for Proposals for conducting a needs assessment and gap analysis for victims of crime. OVS has also issued a Q&A document that provides official OVS responses to frequently asked questions and which can be a useful reference tool when completing a proposal.

These resources, along with all other Victims of Crime Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis RFP documents, are available online at ovs.ny.gov/soc under the Open Procurement subheading. Proposals are due by Tuesday, December 14, 2021.

Building Media Aware Campuses: Media Literacy Education for Sexual and Relationship Health Promotion and Sexual Violence Prevention

Join NYSCASA on Dec. 1 at 12 PM ET for a one-hour webinar with researchers at Innovation Research & Training to discuss how we can use media literacy education to promote sexual and relationship health and prevent sexual violence on college campuses.

During this webinar, participants will: 1) learn how media impact young adults’ sexual health and relationships, 2) review and practice the foundational principles and skills of media literacy education, and 3) learn about Media Aware—an evidence-based, online sexual health intervention for young adults that is grounded in MLE.

Register at bit.ly/MediaAware.

7th Annual Prevention Summit

Join the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) for the 7th Annual Prevention Summit! Participants will explore effective approaches to preventing intimate partner violence before it begins.

The following workshops and sessions will be offered virtually:

• Dec. 6 at 1:00 PM: Prevention Educators Learning Exchange with NYSCADV & NYSCASA, facilitated by Lorien Castelle (NYSCADV) and Sarah Podber (NYSCASA)
• Dec. 13 at 2:00 PM: “You Throw Like A Girl” Film Screening and Discussion with Don McPherson, author of You Throw Like a Girl: The Blind Spot of Masculinity

Colour of Violence: Gender, Race, and Anti-Violence Services — Placing Racialized Survivors at the Center of Anti-Violence Work

On Dec. 9 at 6:00 PM, join Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) for a powerhouse discussion with Black, Indigenous, immigrant/refugee, and racialized women on race, gender, and anti-violence services. This event is part of BWSS’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and their multi-year Colour of Violence project.

Featured speakers include Cecilia Point, Audrey Huntley, Sarah Jama, Farrah Khan, Elene Lam, Kelendria Nation, and Andrea Ritchie. The event will be co-moderated by Angela Marie MacDougall and Leslie Varley.

Click here to learn more and register.

For a complete list of upcoming events and training opportunities, visit our calendar at www.nyscasa.org/calendar.

Take Action on NYS Legislation Using NYSCASA’S State Policy Action Center

Join NYSCASA in advocating for legislation that improves sexual violence prevention and intervention, such as comprehensive sexuality education, incapacity to consent, vacating convictions for trafficking survivors, and expanding access to civil legal remedies for adult survivors of sexual violence. Through our State Policy Action Center, you can learn more about these policy campaigns and access scripts you can use to engage your elected officials.

Take action through the State Policy Action Center at p2a.co/2dMNyET.

Petition: Survivors of Violence Need Expanded Paths to Healing

Survivors, advocates, and allies are calling on New York State to eliminate barriers to access victim compensation funds. Current New York Law requires that survivors file a police report in order to apply for reimbursement from the Office of Victim Services. While this arrangement works for some survivors, it denies essential material support to many other survivors who do not want to report the harm they experienced to the police for a variety of reasons.

Click here to read and sign the petition created by Common Justice.

Survivor-Centered Legislation Signed into Law

In October, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law several bills that will benefit survivors and victims of domestic violence and online sexual harassment:

• Legislation S1557/A4496 requires the release of individuals from utility corporation services in instances of domestic violence. This legislation provides an escape clause for victims of domestic violence so they will not have to continue paying for services at a location they have fled.
• Legislation S1555A/A465-A will make it easier for a victim of domestic violence to apply to have their voter registration records sealed from public view. Previously, a victim of domestic violence would have to apply to the Supreme Court for a court order to keep the information from being disclosed. Now, a victim of domestic violence can make an affirmation directly to the Board of Elections asking for the voter registration information to be kept confidential for four years.
• Legislation S623/A2206 creates a task force to explore and address the impacts of cyber-bullying. create a task force of different stakeholders to determine the prevalence of cyber-bullying, make recommendations on how to prevent cyberbullying, and identify ways the state can act as a resource and tool to assist adults and children who have been victims of bullying or children who have been such victims outside of the school setting.
• Legislation S2986A/A324 expands the definition of coercion to include the production and distribution of intimate images. This amendment will hold individuals who coerce another person into producing or distributing intimate images under threat of physical or emotional harm accountable under the law.

In November, Governor Hochul signed into law the Survivors of Trafficking Attaining Relief Together (START) Act (S674/A459). The START Act expands relief to trafficking survivors who have criminal records relating to a broader range of crimes they were compelled to commit as a result of their exploitation, including sex trafficking, labor trafficking, compelling prostitution, and trafficking in persons. The law will create pathways for trafficking survivors to vacate their records, which will reduce barriers to employment and legal remedies.

Perspectives and News About Anti-Sexual Violence Policy

• Hochul signs trafficking relief, gender-affirming utilities legislation, Matt Tracy, Gay City News (Nov. 16, 2021)
• New York Governor Hochul signs bills affording increased protection for LGBTQ+ community, Sydney Keller, CNY CENTRAL (Nov. 16, 2021)
• New Yorkers can report cop sex abuse to watchdog group: Judge, Cathleen Culliton, Patch (Nov. 10, 2021)
• Sexual harassment history no obstacle to getting a new government job for some city workers, Yoav Gonen, THE CITY (Nov. 9, 2021)
• Opinion: It’s time for New York to pass the Adult Survivors Act, Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters, Gotham Gazette (Nov. 4, 2021)
• Opinion: Governor Hochul, now’s the time to give domestic violence survivors real rental support, Catherina Trapani and Liz Roberts, Gotham Gazette (Nov. 3, 2021)
• Russell Simmons’ accuser urges Legislature to pass Adult Survivors Act, Michelle Del Rey, Times Union (Nov. 1, 2021)

Become a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Trainer in Your Community

Are you interested in becoming a trained facilitator on child sexual abuse prevention curricula? Beginning in December, Prevent Child Abuse Vermont (PCAVT) will offer facilitator trainings for their empirically based, trauma-informed, and proven effective child sexual abuse prevention curricula.

• Jan. 11–13 at 1:00 PM: Training of Trainers in Understanding and Responding to the Sexual Behaviors of Adolescents ©. Click here to learn more and register. (Cost: $400)
• Jan. 25–27 at 1:00 PM: Training of Trainers in Understanding and Responding to the Sexual Behaviors of Children ©. Click here to learn more and register. (Cost: $400)
• Feb. 15–17 at 1:00 PM: Training of Trainers in Nurturing Healthy Sexual Development ©. Click here to learn more and register. (Cost: $400)

Please reach out to Marcie Hambrick at mhambrick@pcavt.org if you have any questions about upcoming trainings offered by PCAVT.

A Call to Action for Policymakers and Advocates: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Legislation in the US

MassKids and its Enough Abuse Campaign, in collaboration with Prevent Child Abuse America, released in June 2021, “A Call to Action for Policymakers and Advocates: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Legislation in the States.”

The report reviews five laws aimed at preventing sexual abuse through school-based initiatives and provides an overview of each state’s legislative efforts, including in New York State. The report highlights emerging trends and proposes a set of recommendations to enhance current state legislative efforts and to build a national infrastructure to coordinate and support implementation of targeted prevention actions in schools, youth organizations and communities across the states. Click here to access the report.

The Cost of Reporting: Perpetrator Retaliation, Institutional Betrayal, and Student Survivor Pushout

“The Cost of Reporting,” a report published by Know Your IX, outlines the impact of the reporting and investigation process on student survivors. The report is the culmination of a survey of more than 100 student survivors who formally reported sexual violence to their schools under Title IX.

The survey results show that 39% of survivors who reported sexual violence to their schools experienced a substantial disruption in their education as a result of the schools’ inadequate or otherwise harmful responses to reports of violence. The report includes recommendations for how institutions can create a more accessible and equitable environment for student survivors. The recommendations were created by survivors and advocates, and are directly influenced by the experiences of survivors who were harmed by their schools. Click here to access the report.

Introducing the Student Survivor Toolkit

Created by Equal Rights Advocates, the Student Survivor Toolkit is a comprehensive 70-page guide written by student student survivors, Title IX experts, attorneys, restorative justice practitioners, and community organizers. It includes guides to the Title IX process, survivor-centered self-care practices, advice for Muslim and LGBTQ+ survivors, and more. Click here to access this resource.

Perspectives and News About Campus Sexual Violence

• Opinion: Another reckoning over sexual assault in US colleges is starting. Officials must listen, Moira Donegan, The Guardian (Oct. 31, 2021)
• Stand With Survivors SU demands include preventative action, administrative reform, Karoline Leonard, The Daily Orange (Oct. 27, 2021)
• Skidmore vows Title IX changes as students ‘out’ alleged abusers online, Rachel Silberstein, Times Union (Oct. 22, 2021)
• Biden’s pick for Education Dept.’s civil rights chief squeaks through Senate, Madeleine Ngo, The New York Times (Oct. 20, 2021)
• Fifteen Title IX hearings in, what have we learned? (Part 1), Brett Sokolow, JD Supra (Oct. 15, 2021)
• Opinion: Here’s why college guys commit sexual assaults they don’t realize are assaults, Kate Cohen, The Washington Post (Aug. 29, 2021)

Dec. 13–14: The Body Keeps the Score: Trauma Healing with Bessel van der Kolk, a 2-day Trauma Conference

On Dec. 13–14, join Bessel van der Kolk for a free two-day virtual conference on healing trauma. Participants will learn about proven methods and approaches to healing trauma, such as neurofeedback, EDMR, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and sensory integration. Click here to learn more and register for free.

Trauma-Informed Human Resources Practices: Creating Safe, Supportive, and Collaborative Working Environments

While many organizations have embraced using trauma-informed practices, it may be challenging to start implementing trauma-informed workplace policies. Using trauma-informed Human Resources practices provides a concrete opportunity to embed trust, transparency, safety, and collaboration into everyday organizational practices. Click here to read more from Siena Tugendrajch on the NYS Trauma-Informed Network blog.

A Guide to Exploring Trauma: A Blog Series

A new blog series from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center sheds light on many aspects of trauma to facilitate conversations and transform how we talk about trauma. Blog 1 defines a series of terms commonly used to talk about trauma, and provide a foundation for the content. In Blog 2, we start to apply the terms to understand how trauma works in our brain and body, as well as why it exists. Blog 3, explores the relationship between sexual violence and trauma, as well as considers how trauma is perpetuated in society through patriarchy and social systems. Lastly, Blog 4, explores media literacy in relation to trauma by investigating the prevalence of trauma voyeurism in entertainment. Click here to learn more and read blog posts in the series.

A Call to Action for Inclusive Gender-based Violence Services for Black/Afro Latin@s

In a new report co-authored with Yvette Modestin, Esperanza United joins the call for attention to Black Latin@ experiences of gender-based violence. The report, “A call to action for inclusive gender-based violence services for Black/Afro Latin@s,” acknowledges the need for linguistic, culturally and racially inclusive gender-based violence services in the Latin@ community and recommends approaches for building on these services to better represent Black Latin@s. Click here to access the report.

Enbridge’s Line 3 Pipeline: Mixing Oil and Sexual Violence

Since its announcement, Enbridge’s Line 3 Pipeline has been fiercely opposed by environmental and Indigenous rights groups, pointing to how oil infrastructure poses threats to environmental safety and greatly impacts the communities in its vicinity, often over-exploited and under-developed Indigenous communities. In the past year alone, 13 men, including several Enbridge Line 3 replacement project workers, were arrested in human and sex trafficking stings.

These cases inicate a far deeper issue involving the oil industry and violence against the Indigenous communities caught up in their projects. Click here to read more from Jihan Dahanayaka in The McGill International Review.

Making (Or Taking) Space: Initial Themes on Nonprofit Transitions from White to BIPOC Leaders

A new report from the Building Movement Project, Making (Or Taking) Space: Initial Themes on Nonprofit Transitions from White to BIPOC Leaders, explores common challenges facing incoming nonprofit leaders of color who take over from white executive directors. The report offers recommendations for supporting new executives of color. Click here to access the report.

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.

• Multiple positions at NYSCASA (Albany, NY)
• Domestic Violence Legal Services Coordinator at the Legal Project (Albany, NY)
• Associate Director of Prevention Programs at Prevent Child Abuse New York (Albany, NY)
• Multiple positions at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) Albany, NY Field Office (Albany, NY)
• PREA Specialist at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (Corning, NY)
• Multiple positions at Advocacy Center of Tompkins County (Ithaca, NY)
• Director of Programs and Director of Development at the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault (New York, NY)
• Multiple positions at the New York City Anti-Violence Project (New York, NY)
• Multiple positions at Safe Horizon (New York, NY)
• Multiple positions at VIP Mujeres/Violence Intervention Program, Inc. (New York, NY)
• Multiple positions at Fearless! Hudson Valley, Inc. (Newburgh, NY)
• Multiple positions at the Empire Justice Center (Rochester, NY)
• Multiple positions at Vera House, Inc. (Syracuse, NY)
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Senior Social Worker at St. Peter’s Crime Victim Services (Troy, NY)
• Multiple positions at Unity House (Troy, NY)
• Advocacy Specialist 2 (Advocate) at the NYS Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, Individual and Family Support Unit (West Seneca, NY)
• Multiple positions at RESTORE Sexual Assault Services at Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York (Multiple locations)