Let’s kick off this blog with a HUGE thank you to everyone who made SART Coordinator Day and SART Institute a roaring success. We (virtually) gathered and were able to learn, share, and discuss best practices for collaborative response to sexual violence in Colorado communities.
Sessions included Outreach & Awareness, Strategies to Re-Engage Your SART, Strategic Planning, Post-Conviction Advocacy, and Engaging Tribal Communities in addition to others. Our thirteen presenters shared their expertise, answered questions, and gave SART members lots to take to back to their communities. SART Coordinator Day and Institute was a collaborative effort between the CCASA staff, presenters, and attendees all led by Jenna Harper, our Sexual Assault Response Program Manager.
As you might have seen on social media, CCASA has welcomed a new Public Policy Director, Elizabeth Newman! We are thrilled to work with her and learn from her policy expertise. As we get closer to Colorado’s legislative session, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for emails from Elizabeth. While CCASA is proud of the role we’ve played in getting survivor-centered legislation passing, our collaboration with partners and organizations, like you, is the key to making real change in our state.
Have you seen any You Have the Right ads in your communities? Ads are making appearances on billboards and busses across Colorado. Next time you see one of these ads, take a picture and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter using #YouHaveTheRightCO and #TieneElDerechoCO.
We also encourage you to take advantage of youhavetherightco.org. It’s a great resource for survivors and professionals. The site also has You Have the Right campaign toolkit you can use to make the most of this campaign in your own community. If you have any questions about the toolkit or You Have the Right outreach, please feel free to reach out to Brandi Dye, our Communications and Community Engagement Manager at brandi@ccasa.org.
Nationally, the White House is working on developing a National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence. The White House is working with the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence to host listening sessions that will inform the action plan going forward.
As an office full of pet-lovers, CCASA was very excited to celebrate both International Cat Day and National Dog Day this August. Although those days have passed, there’s never a wrong time to give your furry friend an extra snuggle or two from your friends at CCASA.