The DOVE Project
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Mission Statement
DOVE is a catalyst for social change fostering zero tolerance for interpersonal violence. We do this by supporting individuals and engaging, inspiring, and providing prevention education that drives change. DOVE stands for Dignity, Opportunity, Voice, and Empowerment. OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD A COMMUNITY IN WHICH ABUSE IS ELIMINATED AND PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT IS PROMOTED THROUGH PREVENTION, EDUCATION AND TRAINING. Integrity: We conduct every aspect of our work at the highest ethical standards and hold ourselves accountable to them. We value transparency and staunchly safeguard the confidentiality of the people we serve. Innovation, Collaboration & Partnerships: We are committed to constantly learning and developing innovative practices and evolving strategies to meet the changing needs of the community we serve. We want to align our work and outcome measurements with the up to date landscape of the community. It is only through collaboration can we have the broadest impact. Social Justice: We value diverse perspectives and strive to incorporate an anti-oppression lens in all aspects of our work. We acknowledge that racism is the root of all oppressive systems. We hold the systems we navigate accountable for anti-racist practices. Caring: We conduct our work with compassion and meet our survivors, where they are with non-judgmental dignity. We believe in a person-centered, trauma-informed approach. In our advocacy, we hope to empower survivors to take the next steps of safety, security, and love. Our work begins and ends with the interests and priorities of survivors of relationship abuse in mind.
About This Cause
The DOVE Project is Vashon Island’s only domestic violence agency. Vashon Island is a rural island in unincorporated King County, WA of 10,291 in Puget Sound; there are no bridges to connect the island with the mainland, a big factor contributing to the island's relative isolation. DOVE was formed to fill a much-needed gap in services for survivors of domestic violence and their families on Vashon. Our client load has grown from 43 people per year in 2013 to helping approximately 800 individuals each year with direct services. Domestic Violence: DOVE, the only domestic violence agency on Vashon, offers support and advocacy to victims of abuse, youth and adult, women and men. The largest services accessed are online support groups, legal advocacy, medical advocacy, and therapy. 90% of all clients are referrals from other community members/clients. DOVE also works with 100% of public middle and high school students in age appropriate prevention programs that promote critical thinking and reflection. DOVE has worked with the community to determine what people want and need; in this way, the community as a whole is our biggest partner. This can be shown by the incredible number of adults that come to us who are not in DV situations, but want to learn more to protect themselves or to help friends and loved ones. Dynamics of domestic violence in places that are separate can be complex. These dynamics can include factors such as geographic/social isolation, lack of anonymity, lack of social services, and inadequate access to legal support. Indeed, some abusers may choose to live in rural areas as it aggravates their victim’s isolation and helplessness. For Vashon women and girls, obtaining off island resources is a time consuming and expensive endeavor. In order for islanders to go roundtrip to the YWCA Tacoma (the closest DV agency to Vashon), it would cost minimum $33 (if driving, excluding gas) and take approximately 4 hours (excluding appointment time). Domestic, dating and sexual violence are costly and pervasive problems in this country, causing victims, as well as witnesses and bystanders, in every community to suffer incalculable pain and loss. In addition to the lives taken and injuries suffered, intimate-partner violence shatters the sense of well-being that allows people to thrive. It also can cause health problems that last a lifetime, and diminish children’s prospects in school and in life. Domestic violence is a health care problem of wide-ranging proportions. In addition to injuries sustained during violent episodes, physical and psychological abuse are linked to a number of adverse physical health effects including sexually transmitted infections, arthritis, chronic neck or back pain, migraines and frequent headaches, chronic pelvic pain, and stomach ulcers. It also contributes to numerous chronic health problems, including depression, alcohol and substance abuse, and often limits the ability of survivors to manage other chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. All of this is in addition to the immediate trauma caused by abuse. Women who have experienced domestic violence are 80 percent more likely to have a stroke, 70 percent more likely to have heart disease, 60 percent more likely to have asthma and 70 percent more likely to drink heavily than women who have not experienced intimate partner violence. Teen victims of physical dating violence are more likely than their non-abused peers to smoke, use drugs, engage in unhealthy diet behaviors (taking diet pills or laxatives and vomiting to lose weight), and engage in risky sexual behaviors. Half of youth who have been victims of dating violence/rape attempt suicide, compared to 13% of non-abused girls and 5% of non-abused boys. So what does DOVE do exactly? The DOVE Project’s primary purpose is assistance and advocacy for survivors of domestic violence. Its mission is to provide compassionate advocacy to survivors of domestic violence living on Vashon Island through support and direct services. DOVE meets the definition of a Community-Based Domestic Violence Program through the provision of the following: Crisis intervention, Individual/group support, Information/referrals, Safety assessment/planning, Advocacy, including Legal Advocacy, and Prevention. Advocacy: Advocacy forms the backbone of interventions to support victims of intimate partner violence and end the violence in their lives. Listed below are a number of services that advocates at DOVE provider survivors on a daily basis. * Emotional support * Danger assessment * Safety planning * Legal advocacy (protection order support) * Education on domestic & sexual violence * Access to English & Spanish bilingual services * Short term emergency shelter * Public assistance support * Reproductive health support * To Go Bags * Support for specialized private therapy * Online support groups * Other emergency assistance Prevention: Dating abuse is a serious issue that can touch the life of any teen. Adolescents of all races and income levels are at risk for being involved in an abusive relationship. Both males and females can be abused, and both males and females can be the abusers. Adolescence, when romantic relationships are first being explored and learned, calls for education that provides the framework for what is ‘unhealthy’ or ‘healthy’ in intimate relationships as well as the confidence to make the right choices. Among students who are currently dating, as many as 59% have experienced physical violence, and 96% have experience psychological or emotional abuse. Additionally, 18% of females first experience sex through coercion and 8.4% experience sexual violence during their first sexual experience. Adults who physically abuse their partners typically enact a first episode of dating violence by age 15. Middle school is a critical time for kids. They begin to see themselves and their relationships with others in new ways—shaped by a unique set of influences and changes that happen in their lives. These relationships extend beyond dating partners and friends; by expanding the notion of relationship to encompass our entire island community, the opportunity for sustainable change is initiated. Prevention in high school matters too. High school is a critical window of opportunity to explore the ideas of being a pro-active bystander with the power to shift social norms. Additionally, peer to peer education is paramount in passing information around! As tweens turn to teens, then to college students, parents, and active community members (no matter what community they end up in), the base knowledge and understanding that the well-being of all community members is vital to a community’s overall health (including economic health and human capital) can be carried through. Rather than repairing damage later on, communities can help equip young people with the skills they need to develop healthy relationships throughout their lives. Goals: For our prevention work, DOVE's goal is to reduce teen dating violence and to promote healthy communication and relationships. Specifically: • Increase sexual health knowledge • Affect attitudes and beliefs • Reduce sexual risk taking, increase self-esteem • Increase communication between partners about sexuality • Increase comfort and confidence with decisions • Increase motivation to avoid pregnancy and disease • Increase access to condoms and contraception • Reduce incidence of teen dating violence Project Description: Teen Council (TC) Teen Council is a national award winning youth peer education program developed and tested by Planned Parenthood. It is also a pilot project of The DOVE Project in that DOVE's Teen Council is the first non-Planned Parenthood run TC in the United States. If Vashon's Teen Council is as successful as we hope, that means that Vashon will be a model program that can be rolled out nationwide. Teen Council sits at the middle of three intersecting spheres: public health (prevention), social change, and healthy sexuality. Teen Council members create social change through advocacy and in their schools and communities. The work they do helps build a healthier community. Project: Lunch Boxes with DOVE Lunch Boxes with DOVE are interactive lunch-time prevention activities for all middle school students around healthy relationships. Each set spans one semester. Lunch Boxes reaches approximately 100 students per week. The activities in each set are short and designed to get thoughts and conversation going around ideas and themes related to issues of healthy relationships/equity/bystander intervention as they connect to it at their ages and development. Lunch Boxes helps shift the culture of schools to one of non-violence, and build individual skills around healthy relationships, equity, and bystander intervention. Both students and teachers can participate and in this way, consistent messaging is bolstered as both adults and tweens are encouraged to critically think. Below are examples of two Lunch Boxes Modules: Bystander Lunch Boxes (Spring 2019) * What is Bystander Intervention? * When to Act? ("Identifying "red dot" situations in Green Dot lingo) * What Stops You from Acting? (Personal triggers) * What is "Active" vs "Passive" Bystanding? * What is a "Green Dot" Action? * The "3 D's" of Active Bystanding - Direct, Delegate, or Distract * Direct Action * Delegating an Equity Lunch Boxes (Fall 2019) * Intro to Equity versus Equality * Privilege (positions of circumstance as a means to advantage) * Describing the difference between Stereotype, Prejudice, and Discrimination * Stereotype * Prejudice * Discrimination - what type of discrimination is this? * What do we have in common? * Empathy * How to be an Ally * Evaluation: What did you learn Change is possible. And as we inch up to having a critical mass of the community using consistent language and messaging around prevention, social change is bound to happen. We would love to partner with you to make this become a reality.