4/16/2020
Your monthly news & updates
Welcome to the Anti-Violence Partnership's newsletter! Through this monthly email, we'll keep you up to date on everything that's happening at AVP. We'll highlight events we hold, people we cherish and news we think is relevant to the world of victim services.
AVP's Offices Are Closed
As you could have assumed, our offices are still closed. The good news is we're still hard at work-- if you need to contact us, everybody at AVP is working from home. Please email [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (215) 567-6776 (we will continue to check our voicemail!) and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Our Annual Report
If you subscribe to our newsletter, you received a link to our 2019 annual report earlier this month.
You can read the whole thing here and get information on how we measured our programs' successes and what we're planning for in the new fiscal year. The report breaks down where our money comes from and all the wonderful people who donate to us. We can think about helping people in the abstract, but it's always a true benefit to hear testimonials directly from the people we work with, and we have a short talk with a client included, too.
Zoom Support Groups
If you engage in face-to-face therapy, our current quarantine could be hitting you hard. Everybody needs to communicate, and this temporary age of isolation isn't making that any easier than it would normally be. Our clinicians are starting two online support groups. Each will be conducted by 2 members of our team over Zoom, and they both start next week.

Follow the links under these fliers to give us some basic information, and we'll be in touch to see if the group is right for you!
Follow Us On Instagram!
We're on every other social media platform, and now we're moving into Instagram. Be sure to follow us to get information from our Youth Violence Outreach team!

Starting this Monday, 4/20, at 3 pm, and continuing every Monday thereafter, one of our therapists will run a live guided meditation session! We will add new content all the time, so follow and check back often!

Resources
Social distancing, school closures and the decision by many businesses to have employees work from home has hurt everybody in ways we may not have been able to predict. Below, find a number of resources that can help in this chaotic time:
Meet AVP
A few words from Victim/Witness Advocate Gabrielle Rainey
What's your job title at AVP and how would you describe what you do here?

I currently work as a Victim/Witness Advocate for AVP. My responsibilities include helping crime victims file for compensation, attending court proceedings with victims or witnesses to crime, and aiding victims throughout the criminal justice process in whatever way they may need.

Why did you decide to get into victim services?

I always knew that I wanted to be in a profession where I could help people on a daily basis and where I could make a difference in someone’s life. The defining moment for me was when I started my internship with Families of Murder Victims in 2017. I interned with FMV for two semesters and loved feeling like I could bring a sense of relief to someone by making them feel that they are never alone in this process. When someone becomes a victim of crime, it is difficult for them to know where to begin in their grieving/healing process and I like to feel that I can assist them the best way that I know how to.

What part of your job means the most to you?  

Working in victim services is an extremely rewarding profession. Being able to bring a sense of relief to someone in a time of crisis when their entire world is spinning makes me feel like I have truly made a difference in their life even in the slightest. I enjoy making people feel like they are never walking alone through their grieving/healing process and that someone is always in their corner.

Is there anything you'd like to focus more of your effort toward as you further define your role here?   

As I continue working with AVP, I would like to bring more of a focus to the victims who often may be overlooked by criminal justice officials. I have a strong interest in working with victims of intimate partner violence. When most people think of IPV, they often think of a heterosexual relationship where the woman falls victim to abuse at the hands of her male partner. I would like to bring more of a focus to male victims of IPV, or victims of IPV who are in same-sex relationships. I believe by doing so, we would make a difference in more people’s lives than we already have.