Adult Education

AVDA provides prevention presentations for the community and trainings for first responders

Education & Outreach

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Adult Education and Outreach

As part of AVDA’s mission, the Community Awareness and Prevention Program aims to foster a community-wide response to abuse while providing information to victims in need of AVDA’s legal and counseling services and to perpetrators seeking our Battering Intervention and Prevention Program. Our three-pronged approach includes presentations, service provider trainings, and outreach at community-based events. We welcome the opportunity to work with all community partners in ending abuse.

We provide both in-person and virtual presentations. Contact AVDA Outreach Director Nicole Franklin-Jones at NicoleF@avda-tx.org or 713.715.6921 to learn more.

Presentations

Domestic abuse is a public health crisis, and awareness across all communities is necessary in order to end abuse. AVDA staff members are available to speak to a variety of audiences ranging from parent, veteran, corporate and church groups to professional organizations. Presentations may be in English or Spanish. Topic choices include:

  • Domestic Violence 101 (covers signs and types of abuse, power and control vs. consent and respect, how a bystander can help)
  • Teen/Young Adult Dating Abuse Prevention
  • Domestic Violence and the Workplace
  • Domestic Violence and Its Impact on Children
  • Intersection of Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking
  • Anger Management vs. Battering Intervention & Prevention
  • Legal Services for Victims of Domestic Violence: Understanding Protective Orders, Child Custody, and Adoption Rights
  • Gender Norms and Domestic Violence

Outreach at Community Events/Resource Fairs

AVDA staffs health fairs and community- and faith-based meetings year-round to meet the demand for information on domestic abuse. Sensitive to Houston’s diverse population, AVDA provides materials in Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish, and has a Spanish-speaking prevention and education manager on staff.

Trainings for Service Providers

We train service providers who have direct interaction with victims as well as perpetrators, offering specialized training for law enforcement officers, healthcare providers, faith leaders, shelter advocates, and Child Protective Services staff, just to name a few.

Trainings for Medical Professionals

How do healthcare professionals talk to their patients about family violence? AVDA provides guidance on the signs of abuse as well as how to address domestic violence issues with patients and the resources available to them.

Training Video for Health Professionals

Trainings for Law Enforcement

AVDA’s comprehensive, engaging eight-hour Texas Commission on Law Enforcement course (#3901) is based on the International Association of Chiefs of Police Intimate Partner Violence Response Policy and Training Content Guidelines. The curriculum covers the following topics and more:

  • the dynamics of intimate partner violence, with an emphasis on common victim and perpetrator experiences and behaviors
  • understanding sexual assault, stalking, kidnapping, witness intimidation, animal abuse, threats, and especially the dangers of strangulation
  • protective order enforcement and violation protocols
  • state and federal laws pertaining to intimate partner violence
  • lethality and high risk indicators
  • officer safety
  • impact of traumatic events and complexities of the manifestation of trauma.

Trainings for College/University Administrators and Students

Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence — almost triple the national average. AVDA provides trainings on dating abuse prevention and the resources available, such as protective orders, to keep students safe.

Trainings for Faith Leaders

Faith leaders are often first responders to domestic violence within their congregations. AVDA is here to provide training and support for faith leaders and their staffs to understand the dynamics of power and control that perpetrators use to abuse. Our facilitators provide the framework for recognizing abuse, responding to survivors appropriately, and referring those in need to available resources.