VIOLENCE PREVENTION
Challenging Systems of Oppression & Cultivating a Culture of Prevention
Because we believe a community safe from violence is possible, we model healthy relationships with youth,
using sincerity and humor, while delivering an evidence based and practice informed anti-violence curriculum.
The Outreach & Prevention program seeks to communicate the mission and vision of CVS, its programs and services, to cultivate a community free from violence and oppression. This is achieved by utilizing restorative justice practices, structured activities, and strategies implemented in multiple settings across the Social Ecological Model to identify root causes of violence within communities and developing appropriate coordinated community responses and resources that result in a reduction of risk factors and/or an increase in protective factors which serve to protect against violence.
Our primary focus is providing culturally appropriate educational curriculum to youth and adults in our community with the express purpose of preventing interpersonal violence and cultivating a culture where consent and respect for one another is a central tenet.
Research suggests that most youth in the United States begin dating between 9 and 12 years of age and are vulnerable to experiencing violence with their first relationship. According to the Center for Disease Control, 12% of youth experience physical violence by a dating partner and 25% experience psychological or emotional abuse by a dating partner.
Data from our local community health assessments suggest that youth in Allen and Putnam counties are no exception. Further, 14% of youth in Putnam County and 28% of youth in Allen County are at increased risk of intimate partner violence, among other long term health effects, due to exposure to multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences.
With over 25 years of combined professional education experience, our prevention educators deliver an evidence-based curriculum which meets the core educational requirements of the Ohio Department of Education and Erin's Law.
Our Programs & Services
Digital Citizenship
K-12 Curriculum
As our technological world changes rapidly and relationships span from physical to digital, it is vital we teach our children how to stay safe and build healthy connections online. Crime Victim Services provides this instruction through the award-winning K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum. The curriculum was designed by Common Sense Education in partnership with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The curriculum can be implemented at the class level or school and district wide and is complimentary to our anti intimate partner violence curriculum, “Connections.” Lessons cover the six core areas of digital citizenship including:
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Media Balance & Well-Being
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Privacy & Security
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Digital Footprint & Identity
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Relationships & Communication
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Cyberbullying, Digital Drama & Hate Speech
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News & Media Literacy
CONNECTIONS: a primary prevention curriculum for interpersonal violence
*This curriculum meets the requirements for Erin's Law in Ohio, providing age appropriate child sexual abuse prevention and teen dating violence prevention education.
Elementary Schools
Developed for Kindergarten - 2nd grade students, prevention educators utilize interactive children's books, activities, and coloring pages to introduce students to healthy friend and family expectations and proactive boundary setting in an approachable and engaging way. Lesson topics include:
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Body boundaries & autonomy
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Cultivating mutuality in relationships with friends and family
Developed for 3rd - 5th grade students, prevention educators deliver a 3 lesson curriculum designed to introduce students to healthy friend and family expectations and proactive boundary setting in an approachable and engaging way. Lesson topics include:
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Setting healthy personal & body boundaries
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Cultivating mutuality in relationships
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Using your words to safely express yourself
Middle & High Schools
Part 1
Perfect for 6th - 8th grade students, this foundational series is designed to help students better understand healthy relationship behaviors and develop respect for themselves and others while exploring the impact of teen dating violence in our culture. Lesson topics include:
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Setting healthy relationship boundaries
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Understanding healthy vs. unhealthy relationships
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Cultivating a culture of consent
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Using nonviolent communication to de-escalate conflict
Part 2
Perfect for students in grades 9 & 10, who have already participated in the Part 1 foundational series. This 4-6 lesson curriculum is designed to help students develop skills to cultivate healthy intimate partner relationships, while also learning techniques to intervene in unhealthy situations. Lesson topics include:
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Understanding the Connection between Stereotypes and Dating Violence
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Consent in a Healthy Relationship
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Bystander Intervention Strategies
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UPstander scenarios and practices
Part 3
This deep dive into how relationship violence escalates is ideal for 11th & 12th grade students who have already completed parts 1 &2. Using a series of One Love videos, prevention educators facilitate a film discussion that helps students better understand how relationship abuse and manipulation escalates in a relationship, and ways to seek help.
After School Programs
Developed for 5th and 6th grade students, prevention educators deliver an 8 lesson curriculum designed to introduce students to healthy relationship expectations and proactive boundary setting. Lesson topics include:
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Setting healthy relationship boundaries
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Understanding healthy vs. unhealthy relationships
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Online safety & digital boundaries
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Cultivating a culture of consent
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Breaking up safely
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The connection between stereotypes and violence
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Why people abuse
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Empowerment and empathy building
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Pro-social bystander intervention
College Campuses
Prevention Educators provide 1 hour training sessions on consent, bystander intervention, and Title IX to college students in Allen and Hardin Counties. Advocates are also available to support students through the Title IX process.
Mind Matters: mindfulness techniques for youth and adults
Small Groups
Appropriate for youth and adults ages 12 and up, the Mind Matters curriculum explores mindfulness techniques for managing stress and responding to trauma. Guided by a trained facilitator, participants learn skills to address their physical, emotional, and mental healthy needs.
Community Outreach & Training
Workshops
Customizable training workshops for community leaders and educators are designed to raise awareness of the impact of violence while developing skills to intervene in harmful situations. Training topics include:
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Cultivating a Culture of Consent
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Bystander Intervention Techniques
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Cultural Humility
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Neurobiology of Trauma
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Becoming a Caring Askable Adult
Community Listening Circles
Community Listening Circles, a form of guided discussion, provide a structured but less formal way for residents to share about the causes and impact of violent crime in their neighborhoods and serve as a launch point for community service agencies like Crime Victim Services to develop programming that will directly address resident needs.
Click on the following link to view the Listening Circle Summary
Social Justice Storytime
a video series to help little people have big conversations
Prevention Blog:
quarterly reflections from our educators
Join us in creating a community safe from violence
For more information, please contact:
Erin Ostling Burkholder
Outreach & Prevention Director
prevention@crimevictimservices.org
419.222.8666
Make a donation
Your tax-deductible donation will help create a culture of consent and bring violence prevention programs to children, youth, and young adults in our community.