Government

Partnerships with local, state, and national governments provide a powerful opportunity to create change. By training government employees to be effective bystanders, informing policy, and writing high-level strategy to shape prevention across the country, we continue to focus on leveraging the influence and reach of government agencies as powerful changemakers.

Engaging local government was critical to implementing our flagship prevention program, Green Dot, in communities across Alaska. The Mayor of Anchorage, Ethan Berkowitz, served as a compelling leader, mobilizing his city to action to create a safer community. He provided direction and support to the Anchorage Assembly to officially declare Anchorage a Green Dot City. He wrote Green Dot training for employees into his first Mayoral Transition Plan as a top priority for the first 60 days of his administration. He encouraged all municipal employees to attend Green Dot training, modeling the importance by attending the first training himself, accompanied by several top cabinet members.

As a frequent vehicle for funding, state government agencies play a large part in steering statewide prevention efforts. We frequently partner with state policy makers and funders to ensure prevention efforts reflect best practice. Several state funders have elected to allocate prevention funds for the statewide implementation of Green Dot. The Florida Department of Health, Division of Community Health Promotion has funded the statewide implementation of Green Dot for High School, College, and Community for the past three years. This gave their communities the comprehensive approach and capacity needed to maintain the program over years and see real impact.

We consult with federal agencies to shape policy, inform strategy, and provide training. Recent projects include:

• Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women – Cooperative Agreement to build strategy and programming to address sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking on college campuses.
• Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office  – Partnership to develop the Prevention Plan of Action to guide the U.S. Armed Forces.
• U.S. Air Force – Design and implementation of a comprehensive prevention strategy including resiliency, bystander intervention, and setting safe social norms to address sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and suicide.
• EEOC – Consultation to create harassment free workplaces.