Leadership Development
2010 Schechter Social Action Class
Leadership Development in Anti-Violence Work: The Susan Schechter Social Action Seminar
In collaboration with Simmons College School of Social Work, the Family Violence Prevention Fund has expanded the Susan Schechter Leadership Development program to include a course titled, Leadership Development in Anti-Violence Work: The Susan Schechter Social Action Seminar. This groundbreaking social action seminar was offered in the spring semester of 2009 and 2010 as a three credit elective course at Simmons College's School of Social Work in Boston, MA. Each semester's class brought together students of various disciplines to: learn about Susan's innovative work, to develop their own voice, ask new questions and test their leadership skills. Over the semester students delve into emerging questions in the field of violence against women and children and the connection to topics such as youth organizing, reproductive health, substance abuse, homelessness, the faith based community, and many others. The course culminates in a poster session presentation where the students present their action plans and the process they went through in developing their project.
Watch the Students in Action
Susan Schechter Leadership Development Awards Announced
Jennifer Britton, Susan Jensen, and Shuei Kozu were selected to receive $2,000 Susan Schechter Leadership Development Awards in order to continue work on the projects they started during the 2009 course. Jennifer Britton's project focuses on improving responses to homeless survivors of domestic violence in health care settings in Boston, MA. Shuei Kozu will be delving into how to help childhood sexual abuse survivors and their families through a training and cross cultural exchange trip to Japan. Susan Jensen will endeavor to organize and mobilize the faith community in Northridge, MA to better support and intervene in families dealing with domestic violence.
Social Action Seminar Students take their knowledge on the road!
In October, 2009, the FVPF convened 750 of the world's leading medical, public health and family violence experts were in New Orleans for the 5th National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence. Maeve Geretcher, RN and Jennifer Britton, RN were selected from the class to attend the conference and presented during the Health Professional Student Pre-Conference Institute on their projects. Additionally one of the professors of the course, Ann Fleck Henderson in collaboration with the two students, were selected to present during a workshop on student leadership development and discussed the class curriculum model.
In June, 2009, Rebecca Jackson and Susan Jensen were selected to attend The National Summit on the Intersection of Domestic Violence and Child Welfare in Jackson Hole, WY. The two students were able to learn from over 300 experts in the field about the innovative work that is being done around the country on issues related to co-occurrence.
Next year, the FVPF and Simmons College School of Social Work will be refining and producing the curriculum and related materials for national dissemination.
For more information about the Susan Schechter Social Action Seminar please email fellowship@endabuse.org
