The Advocates' Voice
March/April 2012
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DV Meeting Calendar
| | Click here for the April DV Meeting Calendar. |
Upcoming Trainings
| To view a listing of
upcoming national and
regional trainings,
click here.
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Proclamation Signing
10:30 am, April 18
Carvel State Building, Wilmington
Delaware Victims' Rights Task Force One Step at a Time 5K Run/Walk
6:30 pm, April 19
Dravo Plaza, Wilmington Waterfront
Click here for more information.
21st Annual Victims' Tribute7 pm, April 25 Sheraton Hotel, Dover
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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Click here for more information. For a calendar of SAAM events throughout Delaware, click here. |
| April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month |
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| DCADV's 16th Annual Advocates' Retreat | 
Getting to the Heart of What Matters:
Critical Reflections on Advocacy, Bullying, and Survivors' NeedsMay 14 & 15, 2012Atlantic Sands Hotel & Conference CenterRehoboth Beach, DelawareThis year's Retreat will feature Keynote Speakers Jill Davies, Esq., and Nan Stein, Ed.D., as well as national, regional, and local speakers on topics ranging from serving diverse communities to the expanding role of advocates. Click here for more information about the keynote speakers, workshops, conference rates, and to register. Early registration ends today, April 16. The deadline for final registration is Friday, April 27. |
DV101 Training Prepares Community Advocates
|  At DCADV's Domestic Violence 101 Training on March 6 and 7, approximately 40 Delaware community members learned effective advocacy skills that support safety and empowerment for victims and survivors of domestic violence. Participants included law enforcement officials, medical and mental health professionals, community service workers, and others.
 Information-packed training sessions covered topics ranging from understanding and responding to domestic violence to safety planning and community resources and included a mock Protection from Abuse hearing led by attorneys Eleanor Kiesel and Jim McGiffin of the Community Legal Aid Society. DCADV's next DV101 Training will be held in September (dates to be announced).
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UD Students Hold Cell Phone Drive for DCADV
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One way organizations and community groups can help support the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence is by collecting old cell phones that raise funds for DCADV through the organization Shelter Alliance. This semester, University of Delaware students taking a Domestic Violence Services course are working on a cell phone drive that reaches beyond campus into the local community. Proceeds from their collection efforts will support various advocacy and educational efforts offered by DCADV throughout Delaware.
Ruth Fleury-Steiner, Associate Professor in Human Development and Family Studies, and a member and volunteer at the Coalition said "Most of these students plan to work in human services and many plan to work in the domestic violence field. They really value the opportunity to connect the classroom to the real world and make a difference for victims of domestic violence."
The cell phone drive gives students the chance to share what they have learned in the classroom with their friends and families. Students have partnered with Greek organizations, registered student organizations, and their off-campus employers to collect phones. Students are also drawing on their personal connections and on technologies like Facebook to spread the word. Most importantly, students are raising awareness about domestic violence in the process.
To donate phones to the DV Services class, contact Ruth Fleury-Steiner at rfs@udel.edu. For more information on how your organization can hold its own cell phone drive to benefit DCADV, call us at 302.658.2958 or visit our website at www.dcadv.org/get-involved.
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LEAP Advocacy Day
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On Tuesday, March 20, 15 members of DCADV's Legislative Advocacy Project (LEAP), including several members of DCADV's WEAVER task force, joined DCADV Policy Coordinator Sara Mersch in Dover for our 4th Annual LEAP Advocacy Day. Participants met for a roundtable discussion at Wesley College, then moved on to Legislative Hall, where they distributed informational folders to members of the General Assembly and observed a hearing. To join LEAP and receive Advocacy Action Alerts from DCADV, email Sara Mersch at smersch@dcadv.org. |
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Featured DV Specialist Betty Metzler
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 In the mid 1970s, when Betty Metzler was working as a health educator at Planned Parenthood, she was also doing pregnancy options counseling. There she found that she was able to help clients experiencing domestic violence. At the same time, several of her colleagues and friends were associated with organizations such as Women Against Rape and the Marital Abuse Project, and she began learning about how sexual assault affects women's lives. Betty moved to Delaware in August of 1986 and shortly thereafter became the Director of the Rape Crisis CONTACT program for Kent and Sussex Counties. Here again she had clients experiencing DV and learned a lot more about victims of domestic violence. Betty received a Master's degree in Community Counseling at Wilmington College and did her internship at what was then People's Place Family Violence Treatment Unit (now Turning Point). This is when she learned about the Power and Control Wheel and why men batter. After she retired from CONTACT in June of 2001, she became a part time facilitator for Turning Point at People's Place, working with men's and women's offender groups, but primarily with victims. She had the experience and credits to apply to become a DV Specialist so, she says, "I did and I'm still here!" Betty believes that even though more hours and experience are now required to become a DV Specialist today than when she applied, it is still worth the effort. There is also help from mentors now, and a lot of support and recognition from DCADV. She says, "Just knowing that you can help someone makes your work worthwhile." |
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