How to connect with community agencies and advocates to help survivors of abuse
As a pastor, you know it's not easy to provide a consistent level of care to a survivor of abuse. A survivor's journey toward healing has many ups and downs. If you've ever felt burnt out or unsure how to help a survivor, you're not alone. And you don't have to keep doing this alone.
You are not meant to be someone's sole support system. We'll show you how to connect with the people who can come alongside a survivor and provide physical and emotional support.
We’ll cover:
Michelle Markgraf is the Director of Family Support Services at Kingdom Workers. She assists congregations and their schools as they work with survivors of sexual and domestic/dating violence. Before working at Kingdom Workers, Michelle was a volunteer rape crisis advocate and the executive director of a rape and domestic abuse center.
Susannah Thorngate-Rein has been working at Women's Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin since February 2020. Prior to switching to nonprofit work, she was a middle and high school English teacher. Susannah loves the flexibility and creativity of being the Violence Prevention Advocate, because it allows her to use her classroom experience while imagining exciting new ways to make the world a safer place for everyone. She lives in Milwaukee with her scientist husband and their two cats.
Gabriela Regall is the Community Outreach Coordinator at Friends, Inc. in West Bend, Wisconsin. She has a Bachelors in Sociology and a minor in Pan African Studies from USCLA. She enjoys working and connecting with the community. Her roles with Friends is to work with underserved populations, such as the Hispanic population in Washington county. Her passion is to spread and share information about domestic violence, sexual assault and what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like so that parents and children are able stay safe and access the support and resources available to them.
Sara Neidecker-Schoo has been an advocate with the Committee Against Domestic Abuse in New Ulm, Minnesota for over seven years. She has a degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato in Alcohol and Drug Studies. Sara is married and enjoys filling her free time reading, hiking with her dogs, and spending time with her family.
Working with survivors of current or past domestic/dating violence can be difficult because of the sensitive nature of the subject. Often, survivors feel guilty about the abuse. They feel they have done something wrong and deserve the treatment they receive at the hands of their abusers.
In this webinar we'll look at how and why partnering with your local community agencies matters, and the role that advocates play in helping a survivor on their journey toward healing. You'll hear from a panel of three community advocates who will address your questions so that together you can provide survivors with the support they need.