2013 Interfaith Symposium Follow-Up

Transcription

1 2013 Interfaith Symposium Follow-Up The 11th annual Interfaith Symposium was held on January 23, 2013 through a partnership between KCSARC, Archdiocese of Seattle, and Department of Corrections. 56 people attended this year s symposium, with just under half of the participants stating that this was their first year attending. Statement of Purpose: This year s symposium aims to give participants the opportunity to connect with others who care about creating healthy faith communities, learn about the latest research in child sexual abuse prevention, and gain valuable skills to help have important conversations to increase safety and end the silence. Agenda Items: Keynote address Julie Metzger was the keynote speaker, and shared stories of her work with educating young people in schools and faith communities about puberty, sex, and development. She encouraged the audience to challenge the way things were done in the past in regards to talking about sex, and to create opportunities for conversations with young people. Evaluations from participants noted the keynote as an important and moving part of the symposium. Keynote presenter's message reinforcing that effective relationship(s) is borne out of actively listening and allowing others to be heard Enjoyed keynote speaker Julie Metzger presentation. Great topic and format to support general ed on sexual abuse and how/what to do in your community. Presentation of Research Mo Lewis presented current research from David Finkelhor that demonstrates a decrease in child sexual abuse, details some systems-level changes that have helped the decrease happen, and name suggestions for future work. Additionally, Mo presented information about the Ecological Model (which shows different levels in which prevention can happen,) and the Interfaith group s suggestions for future directions in prevention. Presentation of research Ecological Circles Concrete examples of individual and congregational prevention strategies

2 Small Group Discussions Alan Waite facilitated small group discussions around ways to create change in faith communities, and incorporated text polling to spark dialogue among participants. Discussion topics included Conversations, Policies/Procedures, Education, and Partnership. Small groups were able to delve deeper into discussions of how they can take what they learned from the research and implement it within their faith communities. Panel Discussion Three parents, who are KCSARC clients, presented their stories of discovering that their children were abused within their faith communities and their consequent work to create change within their churches. Shawna McMahon presented about policies and procedures that the Archdiocese of Seattle has created and implemented, and Marvin Eckfeldt presented about his experiences working with faith communities to create and/or implement policies and procedures. Symposium participants had many questions for the panelists, and found this the most compelling component of the day. Breakout groups and other group sharing provided great ideas dialogue and learning from each other most of all the parents on the panel who talked about their experiences Personal stories from the panel The panel was wonderful. Mixing personal stories with programs that are working to prevent any future abuse or victimization Dynamic panel survivor story! Evaluation: We received 36 completed paper evaluations from the Interfaith Symposium. % of participants Evaluation Statement who agreed or strongly agreed This symposium increased my awareness on how I might create a 97% conversation on healthy relationships and boundaries to reduce sexual victimization. This symposium has increased my intention to utilize community resources, 94% such as KCSARC, Archdiocese of Seattle, and/or Department of Corrections for more information on sexual assault prevention. I learned that there are tools to assist me for dialogue on topics related to 85% sexual abuse prevention. I learned that there is a role for me in the work of sexual abuse prevention. 92% I learned that responsible leadership means that all in the faith community 88% are aware of safety policies.

3 Respondents said they would like more information about: juvenile offenders engaging in conversations within faith communities healing for offenders outreach to non-christian faith communities tools to talk with children who have been abused support within the faith community for church members who are victims resources for survivors after reporting. Online Evaluation Additionally, an online evaluation was conducted this year in the hopes of measuring participants change in knowledge and comfort levels. Although only ten participants filled out the online evaluation, there is a clear increase in each of the measured areas.

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5 Future directions Based on participant feedback, prevention is a key area of interest for symposium participants, with emphasis on creating opportunities for dialogue, education, and prevention within faith communities. Participants were eager to discuss challenges and successes with others, and were receptive to resources that could help them in their process of creating change in their faith community. To build upon the successes of this symposium, we should consider the following areas of focus: Resource sharing compiling policies, procedures, best practices, education programs, etc. to share with participants Dialogue practice opportunities to practice dialogue about prevention topics Research how prevention (including open dialogue) helps prevent sexual assault and child sexual abuse