Drawing upon the foundational work of community development and social change practitioners in Washington State, the Prevention Academy is designed to equip those leading Sexual Assault Prevention efforts with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to proactively address social challenges, prevent adverse outcomes, and cultivate environments where all members can thrive.

We aim to equip members to outreach, network, and organize with people most impacted by violence to promote a just, equitable, and thriving society.

Core Components

1. Educational Programs: Offering workshops, seminars, and training sessions on topics such as leadership development, environmental justice, public health, and community organizing, tailored to meet the unique needs of diverse communities.

2. Community Engagement: Facilitating participatory initiatives that encourage active involvement from community members, ensuring that prevention strategies are locally relevant and community-driven.

3. Collaborative Partnerships: Explore strategies for building "outside of the box" alliances with local organizations, educational institutions, and businesses to create a unified approach to prevention and community development.

4. Research and Evaluation: Hear from local organizers about their experience with community-based participatory research, and tools you can develop to assess the effectiveness of prevention strategies and inform continuous improvement.

The Inspirational Frameworks

The Prevention Academy draws inspiration from several pioneering efforts in Washington State:

Community Voices Advisory Committee: Growing out concern that Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, and other culturally centered communities were not being served by CSAPs and/or did not seek mainstream centered services, the Community Voices Advisory was commissioned by both WCSAP and OCVA to make recommendations to address the disparities. The Community Voices 2002 report contained a call to action for “OCVA and the Sexual Assault Advisory Committee to recognize that inclusion, diversity, and multicultural competence are also a matter of justice, most especially in regard to victims/survivors of sexual violence.”

Mothers of the Movement for the establishment of culturally specific Sexual Assault Services in Washington State, including Advocates and Prevention Specialists Gayle Stringer, M.A., LMHC, Lydia Guy Ortiz, Emma Catague, Anne McGettigan and others.

Partners in Prevention Education (PiPE): Growing out of a demonstration project commissioned by the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs in 2004, PiPE was established to organize and address the root causes of, and social inequities faced by youth experiencing homelessness in Olympia through services and advocacy. Their holistic approach to tackling issues such as housing, hunger, and positive youth development demonstrates the power of comprehensive community services in prevention. 

The Technology of Prevention: Originally conceptualized by William A. Lofquist this framework is designed to strengthen Prevention Specialists' capacity for promoting positive community change, it presents a concept of prevention. Lofquist was a community organizer as part of the racial integration into education during the 1950's. He went on to develop the concepts of Positive Youth Development and Community Development aimed at Primary Prevention. Recommended by the Sexual Assault Advisory Committee in 1995, Lofquist's framework was adopted and incorporated into the Washington State Sexual Assault Service Standards for Primary Prevention. 

The works of Gayle M. Stringer M.A., LMHC, WCSAP's first Sexual Assault Prevention Director at the turn of the century. Gayle consulted closely with Lofquist adapting the Technology of Prevention framework to organizing everyday stakeholders in changing conditions in their communities that allow sexual violence to exist. Participants will gain access to materials designed to guide Prevention Specialists with practical application of Lofquist's framework to meet your unique community characteristics and needs.

By building upon the rich legacy of community development and social change initiatives in Washington State, the Prevention Academy aspires to create a dynamic platform for education, collaboration, and praxis. By integrating evidence-based strategies with culturally responsive practices, the Academy seeks to empower communities to lead sustainable change from within.