By Kayla Woody, House of Hope DVPI Prevention Specialist
The House of Hope hit the ground running in 2021, getting great information out to our communities despite the drawbacks of the coronavirus pandemic. Prevention education looks quite a bit different this year due to concerns about spreading the virus, which means staff have to get creative.
January was National Stalking Awareness Month, and prevention specialist Kayla Woody hosted three different webinars to both Pleasant Grove Middle School and Shawnee High School classes. The House of Hope partnered with the Stalking Prevention Awareness Resource Center and Community Renewal of Pottawatomie County to provide much-needed information about signs of stalking and ways to prevent stalking. This information is extremely important because 1 in 6 women and 1 in 17 men will experience stalking in their lifetimes.
It is so important to speak to teens because stalking normally affects those under the age of 25, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. It is important that we educate these kids at a young age before they encounter this type of situation. Without education on the matter, the outcome would be far worse for them.
Not only is the prevention information about stalking important to these classes but the webinars also provided a way for the organization to build relationships with middle school and high school classes to provide other types of prevention topics like teen dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, bullying and tech safety. The House of Hope is planning more webinars on these topics and hopes to incorporate them monthly at these schools and also other schools and organizations around the community.
To set up a webinar for your classroom, organization or business, please feel free to reach out to our prevention specialist Kayla Woody at 405-275-3176 or by email at kayla.woody@potawatomi.org. This is a free service that can provide education and resources to your students and co-workers, and possibly safe lives.
If you or someone you know is experiencing stalking, intimate partner violence, and/or sexual assault and would like more information, please contact the House of Hope at 405-275-3176 or visit us online at facebook.com/cpnhouseofhope.