Part two of our annual conference is a continuation on our theme where we seek to explore those three foundations of sexual violence prevention and intervention – accountability, bravery, and community – as we consider ways to “Restore Our Roots”. Just like the survivors who have always inspired this work, our roots are strong, bold, and resilient! But there is always room to grow, and our desire is for this conference to provide the inspiration, tools, training, and conversations to help everyone dig deep and flourish.
As we reflect and honor the work done before us, we must also acknowledge past traumas and shortcomings as well. We can thrive if we are willing to examine our roots and challenge the barriers that have prevented our growth. We hope you will join us in considering new possibilities for accountability, bravery, and community within the sexual violence movement. You might experience a little pruning, but we know you will be nourished!
This second portion of the conference will feature a keynote speaker, highlighted presenter, calls to action from partners around Ohio, and 11 workshops!
Keynote Presenter: Camilla Gilbert
Ms. Camilla Gilbert of Cincinnati, Ohio is a Black deaf Woman with Bilateral Microtia and Atresia. For over the last 30 years, Camilla has been an advocate and activist for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities and for people with disabilities. Camilla’s lived experiences with Microtia and Atresia include confusion, isolation, and pressures of societal expectations to be more “able-bodied” versus embracing her deafness. The journey has taught her resiliency, dismantling assumptions regarding people with disabilities, and genuinely being herself.
For most of Camilla’s life, she has denied her deaf identity due to societal expectations and focused on politically correct terms labels such as hearing impairment, hard of hearing, or hearing loss. With claiming her deafness, she is a confident woman who educates, mentors, and advocates for others who are need of a little encouragement.
Camilla is a vocal advocate for people with various disabilities. The young girl who hid her deafness from the world is a confident adult who educates and advocates for others. She is the recipient of the 2015 Oticon Focus on People Award for Advocacy. She served as a board member for the non-profit organization Ear Community, past president of the Southwest Ohio Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America, and a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio) in Computer Science and Mathematics. Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio), and Certificate in Deaf Studies from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Camilla is currently attending Northern Kentucky University for a Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership. Camilla’s research topic will be Disability Studies, and will share her lived experiences as a Black woman with Microtia and Atresia.
Camilla is the Founder and Owner of Microtia Life, LLC. Microtia Life’s mission is to empower individuals with disabilities to defeat all odds and become knowledgeable through education, advocacy, and mentorship. The vision is to acknowledge Ableism, Audism, and Able-Bodied privilege in order to dismantle the marginalization and oppression towards the disability community.
Lastly, Camilla is the mother to one daughter, Jada who is the reason why she is motivated to empower others. Camilla feels you cannot be a role model to your child, if you are not willing to share your wisdom and experiences with others.
Highlighted Presenter: Sirajah Raheem
Sirajah Raheem, MPH, is the founder of Groundsheet. She was once described as “the world’s most gracious, loving, hard core, beast of justice making glory” and she works hard to be deserving of that praise. She is an organizational accountability facilitator that specializes in helping nonprofits incorporate social justice into their mission, their internal operations, and their external deliverables. Groundsheet was created in 2020 to support organizations that are internally driven to reassess their principles and practices to create a more equitable society. They facilitate the fusion of the values and tactics of social justice movements, specifically racial justice, with the mission and tactics of established organizations to make the world a more just place. By engaging with Groundsheet, organizations are choosing to do the challenging and exciting work of foundational change.
Sirajah’s work is grounded by her experiences as a community organizer for economic and housing justice in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. She has provided domestic violence prevention training and technical assistance to over four hundred institutions of higher education, military installations, and communities. She conducts training internationally and her jokes land even when translated to Mandarin. Sirajah focuses on building trainings that are culturally relevant, build professional skills, and create a positive learning experience for participants. Sirajah believes that if the work claims to be just it must be effective, and if the work claims to be effective it must be just. She holds a Master of Public Health from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Berea College.
Land Acknowledgements Presented by: Liz Poprocki
Liz Poprocki (non-status descendant of the Seneca Nation of the Haudenosaunee [“Ho-den-o-shaw-nee”] Confederacy) is the Executive Director of Ohio Victim Witness Association, a Registered Advocate with Advanced Standing through the Ohio Advocate Network, a Comprehensive Credentialed Advocate through the National Advocate Credentialing Program, a member of the Ohio Crisis Response Team and is a NOVA certified crisis responder.
She has been active in the advocacy field for over 15 years with opportunities ranging from crime victim advocate, court liaison for rape survivors, community educator, outpatient and inpatient therapist, and advocate with Disability Rights Ohio. Her specialty is working with crime victims with disabilities and educating advocates on how to serve marginalized populations. Liz is a sought after educator in the fields of equity and disability within Ohio, nationally and internationally. As a Haudenosaunee, she believes that we borrow the Earth from our children and it is a duty to protect it for future generations. As a survivor and passionate social justice advocate, she continues to demand respect and dignity for all affected by crime.
Agenda
Please see the agenda below. More details, such as workshop and presentation abstracts, can be found by clicking on the name of the workshop/presentation.
Day 1 – August 10, 2020
1:00pm – 1:15pm Welcome
2:30pm – 2:45pm Break
2:45pm – 3:45pm Highlighted Presentation from Sirajah Raheem – “A Fusion of Movements: Mission, Strategies, and Outcomes”
3:45pm – 4:00pm Announcements & Closing Statements
Day 2 – August 11, 2020
9:30am – 10:00am Opening Session & Call to Action from Ohio Representative Erica Crawley (D-Columbus)
10:00am – 10:15am Break
10:15am – 11:15am Workshop #1 – Engaging Men in the Movement to End Gender-Based Violence and Responding to them as Survivors
11:15am – 11:30am Break
11:30am – 12:30pm Workshop #2 – Empowerment through Prevention Education: Working with People with Developmental Disabilities
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch Break
1:30pm – 2:30pm Workshop # 3 – Rooting Prevention Efforts with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
2:30pm – 2:45pm Break
2:45pm – 3:45pm Workshop #4 – The Birth of a Nation: Black Women and Sexual Violence
3:45pm – 4:00pm Announcements & Closing Statements
Day 3 – August 12, 2020
9:30am – 10:00am Opening Session & Awards Ceremony
10:00am – 10:15am Break
10:15am – 11:15am Workshop #5 – Silence is No Longer Golden/What You Talking Bout Willis
11:15am – 11:30am Break
11:30am – 12:30pm Workshop #6 – Instructional Scaffolding: A Framework for Community-Level Prevention Curriculum
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch Break
1:30pm – 2:30pm Workshop #7 – When Survivors Self-identify Sexual Assault in Intimate Partner Violence: Implications for the Field from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative
2:30pm – 2:45pm Break
2:45pm – 3:45pm Workshop #8 – The Ohio Bar Project Assessment: Findings that Highlight the Opportunity for Community, Bravery, & Accountability in Sexual Violence Prevention Work in the Service Industry
3:45pm – 4:00pm Announcements & Closing Statements
Day 4 – August 13, 2020: Central Ohio Regional SART Training
9:30am – 10:00am Opening Session & Call to Action from Jen Seifert, PhD.
10:00am – 10:15am Break
10:15am – 11:15am Workshop #9 – Fireside Chat: Collaborating with your Local Substance Abuse Agencies/Experts
11:15am – 11:30am Break
11:30am – 12:30pm Workshop #10 – Adjusting Our Aim, Bridge Building, and Meeting Challenges- The ABCs of Working With Military and Veteran Survivors
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch Break
1:30pm – 2:30pm Workshop # 11 – It Takes a Village: The Faith Community as a Catalyst for Survivor Recovery
2:30pm – 2:45pm Break
2:45pm – 3:45pm Closing Session: Coordinated Community Responses Panel, “People Don’t Have Barriers, Systems Do”
3:45pm – 4:00pm Announcements & Closing Statements
Registration Information
We’re very pleased to offer this event at no charge. This conference is created for sexual violence prevention educators and survivor advocates in Ohio, and we welcome and invite all others who work in the various power-based violence fields, including intimate partner and domestic violence, both inside and outside of Ohio. Register here to receive the links to join our webinars.
FAQs
Will sessions be recorded?
While there may be a small portion of the conference that is recorded, we recommend planning to attend all events “live”. Keynotes, workshops, and the calls to action will not be shared publicly after the event.
Is there a charge for the Virtual Conference?
We are extremely excited to be able to offer Part 2 of the conference as a gift to you—both members and non-members!
Will there be ASL interpreters?
Yes! All sessions of the conference will take place in English, and we will have ASL interpreters. If you have other access needs, please let us know by emailing conference@oaesv.org.
What technology do I need in order to participate?
At minimum, you can join the conference via phone audio only. However, we recommend connecting to all portions of the conference via a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone with audio and video playback capability. Video playback capability is required for those who wish to utilize ASL interpreters.
How do I register?
Just follow this link and submit your information to register.
What should I expect after I register?
When you register on the Go to Webinar website, you’ll receive a confirmation email to the email address you provided. If you are one of the first 200 registrants, you will also receive an email letting you know to watch for your gift box to arrive at the address you provided! Then, at the start of the conference on June 16th, you’ll join us on your device (computer, tablet, etc.) by clicking the personalized link you received in your email from Go to Webinar.
When is the last day to register?
Registration will remain open throughout the event. However, your early registration helps us in our planning, so please register as soon as you can.
This publication is supported in part by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Rape Prevention Education, by Grant No. ODH Project Number: 01860214VW0820 awarded to the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence by the Department of Health. It is also supported in part by VOCA Grant No. 2020-VOCA-132920668; and by subgrant No. 2019-WF-VA7-8919 awarded by the state administering office for the STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, the Ohio Department of Health, or the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.