In a significant and inspiring collaboration, Options Domestic & Sexual Violence Services and Jana’s Campaign have joined forces to address and prevent sexual violence in Northwest Kansas. Supported by the Sexual Violence Prevention and Education grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, this partnership aims to implement comprehensive education and prevention strategies across Thomas, Ellis, and Russell counties. This initiative marks a major step forward in creating safer, more supportive communities.
At the heart of this initiative is a thorough community needs assessment survey led by Jana’s Campaign, a national education organization dedicated to preventing gender and relationship violence. This critical survey, spearheaded by Education and Prevention Specialist Larissa Whitney, Whitney Gerstner, Operations Manager, and Jennifer Schmidtberger, Program Coordinator & Data Specialist, with Executive Director Kaiti Blackburn, will gather essential data from residents in Thomas, Ellis, and Russell counties. The insights gained from the responses will provide a clear picture of the current landscape of sexual violence in these communities and guide the development of prevention strategies tailored for the specific local needs of each community.
Ellis County benefits from an established Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), and this existing team will play a crucial role in helping to implement changes and improvements identified under the new grant. The Ellis County SART has been instrumental in providing immediate and compassionate support to survivors. We are excited to extend this model to Russell and Thomas counties, ensuring that more individuals have access to these critical resources and create a seamless network of support for survivors across the region.
Options is focusing on enhancing support systems in Russell and Thomas counties. Anniston Weber, Campus Advocate for Options, is developing partnerships and establishing SARTs in the largest cities, Colby and Russell. These teams will help develop coordinated community responses to sexual assaults, providing survivors with the resources and support they need and working to hold offenders accountable.
In addition to the survey and developing new SARTs, the implementation of this grant focuses on education and training. Options will expand its Safe Bar Alliance training, a program designed to educate bar staff and patrons on recognizing and preventing sexual violence in nightlife settings. This innovative program aims to create a safer environment by empowering bartenders and other staff to intervene in potentially dangerous situations and support patrons in need. Simultaneously, Jana’s Campaign will further implement workplace trainings to cultivate safer and more respectful work environments. This program is designed to equip employees and employers with the knowledge, policies and procedures needed to better prevent sexual violence and create a culture of respect and safety in the workplace.
The ultimate goal of this partnership is to reduce sexual violence in Thomas, Ellis, and Russell counties by implementing effective education and prevention strategies.
Through community engagement, support system enhancement, and targeted education efforts, Options and Jana’s Campaign are working towards a future where every individual can live free from the threat of sexual violence. Truly, preventing sexual violence requires a community-wide effort, and this partnership is about more than just addressing the symptoms of sexual violence. By combining their strengths and resources, these organizations are setting a powerful example of how collaboration and community-driven initiatives can drive meaningful change. Options and Jana’s Campaign are poised to make a significant impact toward creating a culture of respect and safety that benefits everyone.
How You Can Get Involved
Whether you are a resident, business owner, or local leader, you can support this initiative. You can participate in the upcoming community needs assessment surveys, enroll your staff and attend Safe Bar trainings or workplace training sessions, and you can spread the word about the importance of sexual violence prevention.
We also need individuals and organizational representatives who can support the development of the SARTs in Thomas and Russell counties. If you are interested in being involved, please reach out to Anniston Weber at [email protected] or call 785-625-4202.
Stay tuned for more updates on this important work and find out more about how you can get involved in making our communities safer for all. Together, we can create a future where everyone can live free from the threat of sexual violence.
If you need any additional information or have a question or a concern, Options is available 24 hours every day on our toll-free helpline (800-794-4624). You can also reach an advocate via text by texting HOPE to 847411 or click 24-Hour Chat with Options.
Written by Anniston Weber.
This post was supported by the Cooperative NUF2CE002584, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or Department of Health and Human Services and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC or KDHE.