January 15 @ 8:56 am
Free
theciajenkins@hcdvcc.org
Tag: community
Reflecting on a Powerful Domestic Violence Awareness Month
As October comes to an end, the pressing issue of gender-based violence, particularly domestic violence, remains at the forefront of our mission. Throughout Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC), alongside our incredible community partners, dedicated time to amplifying the conversation around recognizing, responding to, and making referrals for domestic violence.
Throughout the month, the HCDVCC team had the privilege of supporting our partners at various events, including The Bridge, Fresh Spirit, Aid to Victims of Dometic Abuse (AVDA), and An Nisa Hope Center, who graciously invited us to participate in their galas and luncheons.
The Communications Department was busy during October appearing on KPRC, FOX 26 and KHOU discussing important issues about Domestic Violence. Thank you to all the stations for making domestic violence a feature during October. HCDVCC also participated in a panel discussion with AVDA, The Bridge, the District Attorney’s Office and the Houston Police Department at the United Way’s Interagency Meeting discussing issues and resources related to domestic violence for their Community Partners.
We partnered with AVDA and Daya to host an Interfaith Community Dialogue on Domestic Violence. Advocates were joined by Faith Leaders for table talk discussions on Domestic Violence. After the Dialogue, we held an evening of Remembrance, Caring and Hope to celebrate survivors and honor those we lost to domestic violence in the last year. We were honored to have several families who lost a loved one join us for this moving event.
On October 9th, our Senior Director of Operations and Communications, Amy Smith, had the unique opportunity to meet with ten members of the Korean National Police Agency and provide training on the dynamics of domestic violence, Coordinated Community Responses (CCR), Risk Assessments, and Safety Planning. During their three-week visit to Houston, hosted by Sam Houston State University’s College of Criminal Justice, the group also met with representatives from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department, and other local agencies to compare international approaches to protecting vulnerable populations.
Thecia Jenkins, our Training and Outreach Director, participated in an event that was hosted in collaboration with State Representative Jolanda Jones and AVDA. This impactful session focused on identifying lethality risks in domestic violence situations and preventing abuse by promoting healthy relationships. Attendees were able to access real-time resources and connect with one another, sharing personal stories and finding support.
Our Voices of Freedom ambassadors—a remarkable group of survivors who have thrived and now lead as advocates—spearheaded a four-part social media series on Facebook. These posts addressed critical topics such as dismantling domestic violence myths, the journey from victimization to advocacy, engaging men in the conversation, faith-based responses to abuse, and the importance of self-care for both survivors and advocates.
Our Education and Outreach team was quite active this month partnering with local colleges and universities to lead discussions on healthy relationships. They reached over 700 youth and young adults, sparking conversations on domestic violence prevention.
The Team hosted a Family Fun Day in partnership with Village Green. This was one of the highlights of the month—a fun-filled day emphasizing the importance of community connections. This event also served as a precursor to next year’s Youth Boot Camp on Healthy Relationships.
The Team also hosted two outreach workshops one on Creating a Culture of Care: How healthy relationships and bystander intervention can make a difference. The participants learned essential skills to foster healthy relationships and intervene in potentially harmful situations. The second workshop was an Accountability Walk or Taking Responsibility for Our Actions and Ending Violence. This powerful, interactive activity allowed participants to step into the shoes of domestic violence offenders, raising awareness of the challenges they face on the road to rehabilitation.
This October also saw HCDVCC’s Client Support Groups engage in a creative and therapeutic project, where participants—mothers and children—used art to envision their personal, professional, and psychological futures.
We were honored to be in the company of amazing people and agencies when HCDVCC received one of Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s Community Partner Awards.
While October has come to an end, our work is far from over. As we move toward the end of this year and into 2025, let’s continue to have these crucial conversations and advocate for those affected by domestic violence. Together, we can keep making a difference.
Thankful for Transformation: Successes in Client Support
November 14, 2024
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2:30 pm
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4:00 pm
CST
The theme of the meeting is Gratitude. We will have staff sharing about the successes of the client programs. Join us and share what you are grateful for.
Free
Reflecting on HCDVCC’s Inaugural Hispanic Roundtable: Staff Perspectives
HCDVCC hosted the second in a series of Roundtable discussions aimed at specific communities. The Coordinated Community Response in the Hispanic Community Roundtable was held on September 19th at the United Way with almost 50 people in attendance. Below is a summary of the event by Daniana Trigoso-Kukulski, one of the DVCC Case Managers.
English Version | Spanish Version
I am pleased to share the success of our meeting with the Hispanic community in the past week as part of the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinator Council. The gathering was not only impactful but also opened up a wealth of new opportunities to strengthen our initiatives in addressing domestic violence in underserved populations.
The discussions were rich with personal experience and insights that will help guide our future work. We were able to highlight key initiatives such as early intervention programs for immigrant and refugee families, trauma-informed care for children exposed to domestic violence, and culturally sensitive support services. The community’s engagement demonstrated their readiness to collaborate and support these efforts, creating a strong foundation for continued partnership.
Moving forward, we’ve identified several new opportunities for collaboration, including potential community workshops, outreach campaigns, and expanded mental health services tailored to the unique needs of the Hispanic population. These initiatives will help ensure that survivors receive the culturally appropriate care they need and that we are actively promoting education and prevention within the community.
We look forward to working closely with all of you as we take the next steps in advancing these important efforts and making a lasting difference in Harris County.
Spanish version:
Me complace compartir el éxito de nuestra reunión con la comunidad hispana la semana pasada como parte del Consejo de Coordinadores de Violencia Doméstica del Condado de Harris. La reunión no solo fue impactante, sino que también abrió una gran cantidad de nuevas oportunidades para fortalecer nuestras iniciativas para abordar la violencia doméstica en poblaciones desatendidas.
Las discusiones fueron ricas en experiencias y perspectivas personales que ayudarán a guiar nuestro trabajo futuro. Pudimos destacar iniciativas clave como programas de intervención temprana para familias inmigrantes y refugiadas, atención informada sobre el trauma para niños expuestos a la violencia doméstica y servicios de apoyo culturalmente sensibles. La participación de la comunidad demostró su disposición a colaborar y apoyar estos esfuerzos, creando una base sólida para una asociación continua.
En el futuro, hemos identificado varias nuevas oportunidades de colaboración, incluidos posibles talleres comunitarios, campañas de divulgación y servicios de salud mental ampliados adaptados a las necesidades únicas de la población hispana. Estas iniciativas ayudarán a garantizar que los sobrevivientes reciban la atención culturalmente apropiada que necesitan y que estemos promoviendo activamente la educación y la prevención dentro de la comunidad.
Espero trabajar estrechamente con todos ustedes a medida que damos los próximos pasos para avanzar en estos importantes esfuerzos y marcar una diferencia duradera en el condado de Harris.
October 19, 2024
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10:00 am
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1:00 pm
CDT
Family friendly frestival in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Featuring dogs who are ready to find their Furever home.
Activites include moonwalks, henna, sand art, Mighty Big Dogs & More
October 24, 2024 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm CDT
Hosted by The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, this is a Survivor Panel and Community Conversation, along with a post panel breakout sessions, includinga survivors support cirlce (in English and Spanish), friends and family circle, and a session on understanding the realities of domestic violence.
Categories
Commissioners Court
Greetings Advocates, Survivors, Stakeholders, & Community Members!
We have an ACTION ALERT we would like to share! We would love for you to join us in speaking and/or showing up at Commissioner’s Court on Tuesday September 10 in support of the budget to continue Domestic Violence Assistance Funds.
We are thrilled that Harris County is recognizing the value of this important fund for survivors, and we are beyond grateful that Commissioners are considering the continuation of this assistance. This is exciting news for our county, and we need YOUR HELP to make sure we voice our support for this fund!
If you’ve never provided public comment to Commissioners Court on an issue before, never fear! Here are some important things to consider when signing up and in using your voice/making your statement:
- Register to speak – You can do that here – Harris County Commissioners Court Agenda (harriscountytx.gov). You have up until 9:00 am 9/10 to register!
Comments are restricted to 1 minute, so it’s helpful to write out what you’d like to say beforehand to ensure you adhere to the time given. Public comment is generally provided at the beginning of the session, and registered names are called one at a time.
- The Meeting Location – Commissioners Court meetings are held in-person at: 1001 Preston, 1st Floor, Houston, TX 77002 and meetings start at 10:00 am. We hope to have quite a few folks sign up to speak, so please be prepared to stay for a while. And even if you don’t feel comfortable providing comment, showing up will also be important! We’d love for folks to fill the room – especially dressed in purple to show our support. Never discount the visual of a room full of people who took time out of their busy schedules and day to make sure their elected official sees and/or hears from them. There is power in that!
- What to Say – if you don’t know your Commissioner, you can find out by looking at the precinct maps here – Harris County Commissioner Court Precincts (harriscountytx.gov).
If you live in Harris County, it would be great to state who your Commissioner is as you begin your comments. An example of this could go as follows:
Hello. My name is ____________, and I live in Pct. ____________. I am here today to voice my support for the Domestic Violence Assistance Funds because_____________________.
If you don’t live in Harris County, no worries! Your comments will still be important because you WORK and/or provide service to survivors in Harris County. So, an example of your statement could go as follows:
Hello. My name is ____________, and I work for Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. I am here to voice my support for the Domestic Violence Assistance Funds because______________.
And the because will be important! AND there is so much to say here that will be valuable! For instance – If you have a specific story of a survivor you’d like to share (with the survivor’s permission), please do. If you want to share how these funds made you feel in being able to do your work, please do! If you want to talk about how proud you are of our county in recognizing the need for this additional support and really listening to what is working for our area, please do! If you want to give a history lesson of how dv/ipv has been a longstanding epidemic in our community that has been under resourced and under funded for a very long time, please do! The sky is the limit on what you could say and share! And remember – first rule of advocacy especially in an area that you know so well – YOU ARE THE EXPERT ON THIS! Don’t let their position or “status” make you feel like you don’t know what you are talking about or that what you say isn’t valuable.
WE THE PEOPLE… 😊
June 13, 2024
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2:30 pm
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May 23, 2024
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4:00 pm
CDT
Keeping Kids Safe In The Summer
Join us for a conversation with Kristen Beckworth. She will be sharing some tips on keeping kids safe during the summer. Topics include pool/water safety, hot cars, most common preventable injuries, etc.
Kristen Beckworth, MPH, CHES, CPST-I
About our Speaker:
Kristen Beckworth has worked in injury and violence prevention for over 15 years in large pediatric healthcare systems across Texas. She currently serves as the Manager of the Center for Childhood Injury Prevention at Texas Children’s Hospital. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the University Of Texas School Of Public Health. Ms. Beckworth has extensive experience educating children and adults on a variety of child safety topics. She is active in many local, state and national groups focused on injury and violence prevention, such as the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, Injury Free Coalition for Kids and Safe Kids Greater Houston. At the Center for Childhood Injury Prevention, Ms. Beckworth oversees several Health Education Specialists who lead pediatric injury prevention programming across the Greater Houston area. As Manager, Ms. Beckworth is engaged in educating the community, creating strategic partnerships, and training other advocates in the field of childhood injury prevention.
Free
theciajenkins@hcdvcc.org
