Each year, the Annual Colorado Advocacy in Action Conference features a “Top 10” list spearheaded by CCASA’s Executive Director, Erin Jemison, and this year was no different. At this year’s conference (that happened last week!), we opened with an interactive wall display that chronicled the history of the anti-sexual and domestic violence movements. We asked conference participants to also think to the future and to what the movements will be like and accomplish in the next 10, 20, 30 years, and so on. SO with that intro *drum roll, please* we share with you this year’s “Top 10” list…
Top Ten Ways You Know You’re Doing Advocacy Work “Beyond 2020”
10. Instead of 2 days of workshops with 2 hours of self-care at the Colorado Advocacy in Action Conference, we have 2 days of self-care with 2 hours of workshops.
9. Rather than driving over three mountain passes and/or across five counties to meet with a survivor or client, you just beam yourself there.
8. We don’t need to do silent auctions anymore – corporations are knocking down our doors to fund every single expense in our budgets.
7. Sexual assault victims are automatically believed and supported…and offenders are the ones who have to defend their choices and explain what they were wearing, drinking, etc.
6. Shelter rules are limited to 140 characters so they’re Twitter-compatible.
5. Breast cancer is cured so now the NFL can wear purple in October to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. (Unfortunately, several players are also fired because of conflict of interest concerns.)
4. Social justice work has come so far that the only “ism” left on our radar and in our vocabulary is feminism.
3. Victim service organizations and programs must require government-funded spas and automatic staff raises every year.
2. Grant reports are a foreign concept because funders just know that our work is necessary and effective.
1. When you go to cocktail parties and someone asks you what you do, we can all answer: Violence has ended so I’m retired and rollin’ in the dough!