College to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month

MALONE – Dr. Kelli Rodriguez, a member of the college’s Social Sciences faculty, has organized a series of events to mark Domestic Violence Awareness MonthDomestic Violence Awareness month at North Country Community College.

Domestic violence is more common than most people think. Did you know that 1 in 4 women, 1 in 7 men, and 1 in 3-5 people who identify as LGBTQI will experience domestic violence in their lifetime?

“Every second, three people in the U.S. become a victim of domestic violence,” according to salvationarmyusa.org.

Let’s take a stand against domestic violence. This month a number of activities have been planned to create awareness about domestic violence, empower survivors, and to recruit advocates and allies.  We hope you will get involved!

Stop DV Awareness Table and Donation Collection. Stop Domestic Violence will have a table in the Malone campus Reshetkina Hall building (1st floor) on the following days to provide domestic violence awareness information:

-Tuesday, October 15 from 10:30 to 12

-Thursday, October 17 from 11-12:30

-Monday, October 21 from 10:30-12

-Wednesday, October 23 from 11-12:30

Andrea Mosher, Legal Advocate for Stop Domestic Violence, will be available in a private room (RH111 on 15 & 17 and RH107 on 21 & 23) for an hour afterwards if students wish to privately discuss any matter related to DV. You can even stop in to get information for a friend, an assignment, to learn how you can be an advocate for DV survivors, or to make a donation. Items needed for donation include toiletries, hygiene products, diapers, and used cellphones. These items will be distributed to local domestic violence survivors and shelters. Stop by to speak to Andrea to get info, pick up a purple DV awareness ribbon, make a donation, or just to talk.

I survived/I stood up Stories.  During the month of October, there will an area set up in the RH building on the 1st floor inviting you to share a story about surviving domestic violence, how domestic violence affected you, or how you have stood up or supported a survivor of domestic violence. The stories can be short or long, anonymous or signed. Just get involved to show your support. Even writing down that you will make a commitment to listening, believing, and supporting survivors of domestic violence is a powerful way to show you care! Some of these stories will be shared at the end of the month DV event.

Domestic Violence Myths. There will be posters up around campus that address the misconceptions about domestic violence. Students are invited to use emoji cutouts to react to the posters, similar to how Facebook users react to posts.

 “In Their Shoes” exercise. Join Kelli Rodriguez’s classes as Stop Domestic Violence facilitates an interactivity activity “In Their Shoes”, which gives the participants the opportunity to walk through a day in the life of six different characters, based on the experiences of real teens experiencing dating violence. The participants are tasked with making choices about the character’s options and actions, moving through real life scenarios, as if they were essentially, walking a day “In Their Shoes”:

-Saranac Lake, October 22, room C17 8-915 (option 1) or 11-12:20 (option 2)

-Malone, October 30, room RH207 11-12:20 (option 1) or 1-2:20 (option 2).

Please RSVP to krodriguez@nccc.edu if you plan to come or would like to have your class join in during one of those times.

Wear Purple. Wear purple on Thursday, October 24 to show your support for survivors and for ending domestic violence. Andrea Mosher from Stop Domestic Violence will be giving out purple ribbons on the above dates, so stop by and grab one.

Domestic Violence Awareness & Survivor Night. On Monday, October 28 from 6-8pm in the Mezzanine (upstairs RH building), come help break the silence surrounding domestic violence. Come share your “I survived domestic violence” story, volunteer to read a survivor’s story, or simply come to show your support by being present for those who share their story. Professionals from local domestic violence agencies will be available with information and to provide support. Come join us for this powerful event to break the silence and to support and empower survivors.

For more information, contact Dr. Kelli Rodriguez, Psy.D., Faculty of Social Sciences, North Country Community College at krodriguez@nccc.edu or 518-891-2915 ext. 3244