One of the first requirements in any community dialogue is to raise awareness and highlight the magnitude of the problem. People in the community must understand the impact of the issues at hand and also know where to turn …show more content…
The families and communities that are most affected by the violence have largely been left out of discussions about their concerns, more less the solutions. “Yet they are the ones who know all too well how violence affect their daily lives, their environment, their relationships, and their ability to move freely in their neighborhoods and among their peers” (Caitlin, 2002).
There are many advantages to having a community dialogue with families and communities, for community members are the ones who know which family members need help and the best services for them.
Families experiencing violence are often isolated and disconnected from traditional services outside their immediate neighborhood, so this forum can be beneficially. Members of the community know the cultural values, traditions, and practices that support violence, therefore they also know what can be used appropriately to intervene and stop it.
According to Klein (2011) the mission can impact all programs as well as the direction of the organization, and this event is appropriately linked to CONNECT’s mission, which …show more content…
This community mobilization event also included men in the community, and men often believed that social service systems are biased in favor of women and punitive to men, but more so poor men of color. Men also feel blamed, defensive and excluded when the issue of family violence comes up, therefore it becomes difficult to bring them into the conversation.
Therefore it was important for CONNECT to create a language and context for the community mobilization to welcome men and to recognize that the anti-violence messages to other men and boys can be effectively carried by men. As community members feel safe enough to disclose, it was important for CONNECT to empower individuals with the information, tools and resources they need.
The goal of an event like this involve engaging in community building to raise awareness about family violence and preventing family violence, it include but not limited to galvanizing survivors, the building of support for nonviolence and strengthening