Dear Friend,
 

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). During this month, we continue to uplift the voices of survivors by educating ourselves and others, reflecting on the need for community care, and reimagining public safety while supporting survivors. October serves as a spotlight on an issue that we work towards eliminating every day. We will be digging deeper and connecting the dots to look at the root causes of domestic violence while reaching higher to reimagining a world without violence.
 

Before the global pandemic began, 1 in 3 women had experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner throughout the world. COVID-19 has exacerbated what the United Nations is calling a shadow pandemic, with many victims and survivors experiencing increased economic hardships and isolation due to stay-at-home orders and a financial crisis.
 

Not only must we as a society recognize the need to support survivors, we must also take up the responsibility of ending domestic violence with survivor-centered responses and recognizing domestic violence as a structural economic issue. Offering services must continue and reimagining our responses to these overlooked public health issues is more imperative than ever.

Every October, we hold our largest fundraiser of the year, Evening Over Violence. This event raises critical funds to help support our programs, but also celebrates and honors individuals and our community. It is a time for us to gather together and reflect back on the year, and look forward to the next. Every event is unique - from venue to honorees, attendees and performers…  and this year is no exception. 

As with everything this year, we are reimagining our Evening Over Violence. We are excited to announce we are launching a series of virtual events, bringing the same spirit of our events past to your computer screens on zoom! Each event will feature storytelling and performance and celebrate and educate our communities while honoring survivors and leaders who have impacted our field in innovative and brave ways.

Join us for the launch of this series on Thursday, October 29 at 6pm. Save the date and stay tuned for more information and ticket sales!

POV Reads

For this month’s newsletter, we have featured a list of curated articles and resources to continue reaching higher as we reimagine public safety, community care, and how we support survivors as a society. Content Warning: Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence

Building a Brave Space

The Campaign for Peace Over Violence

As we collectively continue to face political, social, and financial challenges, Peace Over Violence remains committed to building crucial brave spaces needed for healing and social justice to thrive.
 

Our future home will be a brave new space that will be more accessible to the communities we serve. It will be a place that will embody our values of healing, resilience, transformation and radical love and will allow us to more comprehensively serve our families. It will be a place of reimagination and innovation, a place where new friendships will be cultivated and new memories made. This space will be our offering to survivors and their families, loved ones, and our communities so that we can heal and thrive together.

Our new home will be our offering to survivors and their families, loved ones and our communities so we can heal and thrive together. Help us continue to support survivors and work to transform our world into one that is healthy and just for us all. We invite you to learn more about our campaign and to consider becoming a Brave Space Builder with us!