October 2024

WHAT'S NEW

Summer RAPP Sit-In

ENDGBV's Community Initiatives Team visited Day One's Summer Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP) in Manhattan to sit in with the students and learn more about healthy relationships. This summer program allows high school students enrolled in RAPP to continue learning about healthy relationships and community building with the goal of becoming peer leaders. Students discuss challenging and engaging subject matter like  "how do we address abuse in school environments and support friends who are experiencing abuse?" and "how do we know when consent is freely given?" with expert instructors. The complete summer program includes lessons from social workers, community organizers, and other DV/GBV professionals as well as group enrichment trips such as kayaking. The RAPP program is currently operating in over 150 high schools in New York City, with evidence-based curriculums built to address the challenges our youth face in identifying and building out healthy relationships.

RAPP's sibling program, ERAPP, which operates in middle schools, also holds a summer program that invites students from all over New York City to take part in a summer camp where the learning is balanced with ample play time, art projects, and field trips for extra fun! Every day both programs provide free breakfast and lunch for their students, allows them to connect with other abuse-conscious peers across the city, gives parents a new option for childcare over the summer months, and helps providers gather information to improve RAPP and ERAPP for the upcoming school year. Our curriculum is designed by DV/GBV professionals and clinicians to teach students in middle school and high school about identifying unhealthy behavior in relationships and prevent them from forming patterns of abuse, that curriculum needs to evolve to address the problems our youth face every day.

ENDGBV joined our fellow City Offices and Agencies for NYPD's National Night Out! Despite temperatures flaring around 90 degrees leading to a downpour later that night, ENDGBV and community organizations were there talking with locals about public safety. Our own Marleni Crisostomo, Client Services Coordinator of the Bronx Family Justice Center, braved the elements to share what we do and make connections with the community members of Police Service Area 7.

Program coordinators from our Community Initiatives Team, Kimara Lucius and Jenny Proaño, represented ENDGBV at New York Psychotherapy and Counseling Center's Anti-Bullying Fair in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Bullying and other forms of interpersonal abuse during childhood can adversely impact how young adults cope with, intervene in, and recognize abusive patterns. ENDGBV believes that support for our children is needed to effectively change how we as a community deal with DV/GBV.

Kimara also helps facilitate ENDGBV's Youth Leadership Council, which works with 14- to 19-year-olds to learn more about our office and work on our youth programming. Jenny helps manage our Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP), and Early Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (ERAPP)

Students at International Community High School in the Bronx have released "We Need To Talk", a youth guide to healthy relationships and addressing the challenges of domestic violence in the Bronx. The project is part of an initiative run by the Center of Urban Pedagogy (CUP) through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in which students explore relevant community issues that matter to them with the guidance of educators. Teacher Nick Deming and CUP Artist Shifa Quareshi guided students through the research and artistic components that went into this guide. The project consists of information gathering through interviews with professionals in the DV field, community engagement surveys about domestic violence in the Bronx, and discussions about how to support those experiencing violence and building communities that address domestic violence. All of the content is produced by young people for other young people to read and learn from.

Our Acting Commissioner, Saloni Sethi was proud to meet with the students, answer their questions about domestic violence and deepen their understanding of this issue. During this project, students also worked heavily with the school's RAPP coordinator, Erika Miller, a counselor that students are able to go to as a resource to learn more about abuse and healthy relationships. ENDGBV is proud to see a coordinator play an important role in this project, as we oversee the RAPP program it shows the importance of having resources for domestic violence available to teens across NYC.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) 2024

Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is upon us, and that means ENDGBV and domestic violence organizations all across the country are making preparations to show up in community and raise awareness for this issue that impacts 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men.

ENDGBV will be in community all throughout October to raising awareness about our FJC services, announcing initiatives and programs, and having important conversations with DV/GBV experts about how our work is evolving. We are also excited to continue uplifting the voices of survivors on our social media with our #LetterstoMyFormerSelf campaign, sharing personal stories from the incredible domestic violence advocates from our VOICES Survivor Advisory Committee. Don't forget to follow us @nycendgbv.

Save these dates and check out the annual DVAM calendar of citywide events at www.nyc.gov/ENDGBV

• 9/26: Annual Bride's March - ENDGBV joins the 24th annual Bride's March to pay respects to women who have died as a result of domestic violence. The memorial began as a way to honor the life and memory of Gladys Ricart, a New Yorker who was murdered in 1999 by her former boyfriend on the day of her wedding. After this tragedy, the latine communty of NYC came together to share resources and hold this event to continue to discuss and raise awareness for domestic abuse. The kickoff and opening ceremony will be held at Holyrood Episcopal Church (715 W 175th St.) and the march will begin at 10:30. Participants will march in wedding attire from Washington Heights into the Bronx, and end at the Julia De Burgos Cultural Center (1680 Lexington Avenue). At the end of the march there will be a meal, and a closing ceremony. Participants are encouraged to bring photos of loved ones lost to Domestic Violence as several memorials will be set along the route. The Bride's March steering committee, which is a coalition of DV CBOs, hopes to have at least 100 men join the march to send the message that this is not just a women's issue and takes all of us to end it. See the poster with more information and Register Here: English -- Spanish
• 10/05: Richmond County District Attorney (RCDA) Domestic Violence (DV) Walk – The RCDA invites you to walk in the St. George neighborhood of Staten Island to raise awareness for Domestic Violence in the local community. Participants are encouraged to wear purple, make connections, and learn more about Domestic Violence from the community organizations and government agencies who will be available during the event. Register Here
• 10/08: Save the date! Tech Abuse Today: Responses and Strategies (in-person event):  –  This panel, featuring ENDGBV, CUNY, Cornell's Clinic to End Tech Abuse (CETA), Day One, and the New York State Office to Prevent Domestic Violence (OPDV), brings together leading gender-based violence agencies and experts in New York to discuss the current state of technology-facilitated abuse, following the 2019 criminalization of the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images. Panelists will explore how this law has impacted survivors and what challenges remain in addressing digital forms of abuse. The discussion will also look ahead to the future, examining the evolving nature of digital violence as technology advances, and what steps can be taken to protect individuals moving forward. Light refreshments provided. Register Here
• 10/17: GO Purple Day! - Put on your favorite purple outfit and put your support for survivors of DV on your sleeve – literally! Every year we see how impactful it can be for everyday members of the public to stand firm in their commitment to support and protect victims of abuse. Post a picture of your outfit with  #DVAM2024 #AwarenessHelpHope #GoPurple #NYCGoPurpleon Instagram or X, and follow us on social media on @nycendgbv for all things DVAM and more info about how you can get involved.
  
  And as the sun sets, check out the city lights! NYC's most iconic buildings, including One World Trade, and City Hall will be lighting up the skyline in stunning purple to signal the City's commitment to survivors. You can help spread the word by taking a picture and posting on Instagram with the hashtags #GoPurpleDayNYC #GoPurpleDay #DVAM2024 and #AwarenessHelpHope, and share the ways you support survivors in your community! We will feature our favorite photos on our page, stay tuned for more information and follow our accounts to see a full list of buildings and icons that will light up the night!
• 10/26: Bronx District Attorney (BXDA) Walk, Run, Roll 5K – Join ENDGBV at the BXDA's community 5k to raise awareness for Domestic Violence across the Bronx. Spend the morning on a relaxing at-your-own-pace 5k through the scenic Bronx, connecting with organizations and domestic violence conscious community members! Register Here
  
  

City Commission on Human Rights' "Understanding New Yorkers Experiences with Discrimination" Survey

The NYC Commission on Human Rights invites you to take  their new "Understanding New Yorkers' Experiences with Discrimination" survey. This comprehensive citywide survey explores New Yorkers' experiences and perceptions of discrimination in their daily lives. The survey covers several key themes around the perceptions of where and why discrimination occurs, contributors to discrimination, willingness to report discrimination, and familiarity with the Commission. All responses will inform the Commission's impact, outreach efforts, and collaborations with other local government agencies.

Available in over 10 languages, this survey is part of the Commission's new TogetherNYC campaign, which aims to unite New Yorkers against bias and hate. The campaign also encourages all New Yorkers to take actions to reduce and prevent discrimination, including taking the survey, and pledging their commitment to foster an inclusive city. For more information about the Commission on Human Rights, please visit this link. To learn more about ways to get involved, please check out the Commission's latest "Together NYC" campaign.

Healing Connections

Our partners at the Center for Justice Innovation have developed a 16-week group accountability program for anyone who has caused harm in an intimate relationship called Healing Connections. This mixed gender program accepts referrals from criminal and family court and voluntary participation from individuals interested in increasing self-awareness and developing healthier relationships. The curriculum will focus on accountability, mindfulness practices, trauma healing, and create a space for those seeking to be accountable for their behaviors to work on themselves with the guidance of a clinician.

The cohort meets virtually on Zoom every Tuesday starting late October, message agwaksberg@nycourts.gov or call 646-707-4218 to sign up.

In this Policy and Legislative Corner, we will highlight some legislative updates that may be of interest to DV/GBV providers. We will also share information about a Supreme Court ruling that could impact survivors facing homelessness.

City:

• New Bills Introduced
• Int 0993-2024: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating lock change procedures in response to illegal lockouts
• This bill would require the Police Department (NYPD) to create a procedure under which NYPD officers can change the locks on the dwellings of people who have been illegally locked out of those dwellings to allow those who have been illegally locked out to return to their dwellings. The NYPD would be required to add such a procedure to its Patrol Guide. When NYPD officers change locks pursuant to such procedure, they would be required to provide new keys that open the new lock to all the dwelling occupants and to the landlord.
• Int 0514-2024: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to interest to be paid on late contract payments to non-profit contractors
• This bill would require interest to be paid on late payments under city contracts with non-profit organizations. The non-profit contractor would not be eligible to receive the interest if the non-profit contractor has received a no-interest and no-service-fee loan issued or authorized by a city agency to cover its expenses in relation to the subject contract.

 State:

• City of New York Letter of Support Sent to the Governor
• The City of New York submitted a letter in support of Bill S15A/A2583A, which passed both houses. This bill has been sent to the Governor, for signature.
• S15A/A2583A: AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to authorizing certain shelters to be reimbursed for housing a single individual in a room intended for double occupancy.

 Federal:

• SCOTUS Ruling
• City of Grants Pass Oregon v. Johnson
  
  Ruling: In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court upheld local ordinances that ban people from sleeping outside in public spaces. The ordinances in question impose fines followed by imprisonment for repeat offenders. The Court held that a ban on "public camping" does not violate the 8th Amendment's Cruel and Inhuman treatment clause. The Court also held that the ordinance does not target anyone based on their status as unhoused because it applies to everyone regardless of status.  The dissenting opinion pointed to the complex and intersecting reasons individuals might be sleeping in public places, including domestic violence and sexual abuse.