Women Helping Women
215 E. 9th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Prevent & Empower Learning Management System Platform
Grant Application:
Gender-based violence is s complex and deeply ingrained public health issue; however, it is preventable. Early, effective education can change how young people understand violence and can empower them to intervene and prevent violence in the future. Women Helping Women’s Prevent & Empower program is a 5-day curriculum that explores signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, sexual assault and sexual harassment (including use of social media and technology), consent, bystander intervention, resources to help a friend or loved one and communication skills for middle and high school age youth. To meet the demand of school partners, WHW will create and engaging, technology-based solution (i.e. Learning Management System), which will increase the number of youth served from 3,500 to 5,000 or more per year. Through education, will we truly be able to address the larger attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that cause gender-based violence.
Goals:
In September 2021, Women Helping Women requested and received permission from the Dater Foundation to revise the original scope of this project, which was focused on purchasing an online Learning Management System to accommodate virtual learning during the pandemic. However, as our school partners resumed in-class learning, they requested that we also return to in-class service delivery. The goals below reflect the shift back to in-class services.
During the fall semester, we anticipated educating students in at least 18 schools across Hamilton and Butler counties. By the end of the program:
•20% of participants will demonstrate an increase in skill towards sexual violence prevention.
•15% of students will increase skills toward identifying healthy and unhealthy relationship characteristics as measured by pre/post-tests.
•15% of students will increase their skills for intervening in harmful situations.
Grant Evaluation Report:
Because we neither failed to meet nor significantly exceeded our projected goals and objectives, we scored ourselves as successful for this project. WHW educators taught 2,634 students at 18 schools fall 2021. Although transitioning back to in-class services and re-establishing the momentum we were experiencing prior to the pandemic took a great deal of effort, we are now back on track! Students were very open to material and interested in learning about healthy relationships, bystander intervention, assertiveness, and socio-emotional skills. Relationships with schools continued to be strong and many teachers were insistent on WHW educators being back in the classroom after two years of interrupted education and programming due to COVID. Results since transitioning back to the classroom continue to be strong and students continue to gain knowledge and skills based on pre/post surveys. Educators observed that students were trending a bit developmentally younger and conflict appeared to be more visible as compared to other years, which could be due in part to isolation they experienced when classes were held virtually during the pandemic.
Results:
During the fall semester, we educated 2,634 students in 18 schools across Hamilton and Butler counties. By the end of the program:
•22% of participants demonstrated an increase in skill towards sexual violence prevention.
•16% of students increased skills toward identifying healthy and unhealthy relationship characteristics as measured by pre/post-tests.
•19% of students increased their skills for intervening in harmful situations
Website:
http://www.womenhelpingwomen.org Amount: $25,000
Date: June 2022
