Silenced or Valued? Learning from Advocate-Survivors in Rural Advocacy Programs

The work to end sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and dating violence was started and led by those who were most affected—survivors of violence. Today, much of that work is done by advocacy programs with staff who are also survivors. Despite this reality, many rural advocate-survivors have been silenced by program practices that discourage sharing personal experiences.

In this webinar, we consider how this shift happened and what programs are doing to address it. The session explores these questions:

-What barriers and supports exist for centering advocate-survivors in the work of rural advocacy?
-How can rural programs welcome and value advocate-survivors?
-What practices and policies can rural programs institute or eliminate to better support advocate-survivors?