‘ Take a Stand, Troy’ initiative targets violence
TROY, N. Y. » People who stopped into The Broken Mold Studio during the Troy Night Out on Friday were able to hear about a new initiative to help prevent and respond to interpersonal violence in Troy and across the Capital Region.
The Sexual Assault and Crime Victims Assistance Program, a member of St. Peter’s Health Partners, officially launched the initiative Friday night. The initiative is centered around seven posters featuring well- known members of the Troy community. In combination with training for employees of local businesses, the “Take a Stand, Troy” initiative aims to raise public awareness about the power of bystanders to create a culture in which interpersonal violence — violence between individuals — is not tolerated.
“We’ve wanted to for a while launch a community- wide prevention initiative that’s based on the idea of bystander intervention,” explained SACVAP Director Lindsey Crusan- Muse. “Themain concept is that we want to challenge our community to create a culture in which there’s no tolerance for sexual violence and interpersonal violence.”
The posters, unveiled Friday night at The Broken Mold Studio in downtown Troy, will be hung at businesses that choose to join the initiative andwhichhave completed training sessions provided, for free, by SACVAP. The posters challenge community members to “Take a Stand,” and announce that interpersonal violence is not welcome in the community. Situations described on the posters include: “When a girl is out dressed like that, she deserves … to get home safely.” “I saw them put something in her drink, so I took my chance … to buy her a new one.” “After a few dates, she owed me … nothing.”
SACVAP is encouraging any
and all local business to join the “Take a Stand, Troy” initiative. In the free 30 to 45 minute training offered to local businesses by SACVAP, employees will gain the knowledge and tools necessary to identify and respond to situations where the well- being of a patron may be in question. Participating businesses will receive posters, drink coasters, informational materials, and other materials related to the initiative.
“We’re utilizing concepts from a very well established bystander intervention curriculum called Mentors in Violence Prevention, which five of our staff are certified in teaching and we’ve been using this for many years with local schools, colleges and other organizations,” said Crusan- Muse. “The basic concept is really focused on working through potential scenarios that you might find yourself in and talking through ways that you might be able to intervene safely.”
The “Take a Stand, Troy” initiative is supported by a grant administered by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
“It takes a community to stop sexual violence,” said Crusan- Muse. “‘ Take a Stand, Troy’ inspires people in our community to look out for one another, to speak up, and to find safe ways to respond to situations that occur in our city. By raising awareness and providing education we strengthen our commitment to creating a culture in which sexual assault and other forms of interpersonal violence are not tolerated.”
Businesses interested in learning more or scheduling a training session should contact Sandy Stopera at Sandra. stopera@ sphp. com or ( 518) 271- 3006.
More information can be found on the SACVAP Facebook page: facebook.com/sacvap
On social media, posts related to the initiative will be tagged with: #TakeAStandTroy