White Ribbon Day Campaign.
Created in 1999 by a group of men in reaction to one man’s massacre of fourteen female college students in Montreal (specifically because they were women), White Ribbon Day is an annual day of recognition of the role men can play in stopping violence against women.
On March 15, A Safe Place will be working with local first responders and community members in taking the White Ribbon Day Pledge in making a commitment to be part of the solution in ending all gender-based violence. We welcome all community members to join us at 4 Fairgrounds Road on March 15 at 12:00 PM to take the pledge. We will wear white ribbons as a sign of our commitment.
Taking the pledge means not only promising to not be a perpetrator of violence against women and all gender-based violence, but also promising not to be a silent bystander when you suspect someone is a victim or offender of sexual assault or domestic violence.
If you are interested in more information please reach out to iris@asafeplacenantucket.org.
Thank you to Dan Driscoll of September Productions for the creation of A Safe Place’s White Ribbon Day Campaign video.
Crystal Mautner, A Safe Place’s Supervised Visitation Program Manager, will be attending further training via the Supervised Visitation Network in early March.
A Safe Place’s Supervised Visitation Center provides a secure and comfortable environment for children to maintain a relationship with both parents while attempting to isolate them from conflict.
Our supervised visitation program offers two basic types of services:
-The provision of a neutral environment for custody exchanges that prevents direct contact between parents/guardians.
-The supervision of an entire visit between a child and a non custodial parent or relative, where they can interact in a comfortable playroom setting while the visit is monitored by trained staff and on-site security.
All services are free of charge.
A Safe Place’s Suzanne Fronzuto and Kathy Butterworth recently finished up part two of youth education (grades five and six) at the Nantucket New School. Topics included bullying, harassment, and being an upstander.
In mid February, Suzanne and Kathy received further training from Stop It Now! and their Circles of Safety classes.
Circles of Safety’s Awareness to Action for Youth-Serving Professionals program teaches and supports adults to understand and respond to behaviors (both children’s and adults) that put children at risk for sexual harm.
Circles of Safety is designed to help adults in youth-serving organizations not only learn
about the scope of sexual abuse and prevention strategies, but to feel confident, comfortable, and empowered to take action to keep children safe from sexual harm.
Sexual abuse thrives in secrecy and the unknown. By learning about healthy sexuality, the warning signs of potentially harmful and abusive sexual behaviors, safety planning, and how to respond to warning signs, professionals are better prepared to known when to act and how to address risks of sexual abuse and harm.
In 2022, A Safe Place received a very generous donation that allowed for us to implement our first ever family court legal services option for eligible survivors.
In partnering with Attorney Lauren G. Klein, a long standing supporter and volunteer at ASP, A Safe Place was able to create impact for local survivors needing legal assistance who may not have been able to have professional legal representation or advice otherwise.
We are pleased to announce that our legal services aid will continue for 2023 thanks to a second very generous donation this year.
We are truly grateful for the support of our donors in making a difference in the lives of our community survivors and we express sincere gratitude to this particular anonymous donor, as well as Attorney Klein, for their generosity and passion within our mission.
A Safe Place met with the Nantucket Family Resource Center recently to educate their newest staff members about ASP’s services within the Nantucket community. Provider and community connections allow for families and individuals in need to be referred to the resources that can best serve them.
Thank you to St. Paul’s Church (and Sheriff Perelman) for their continued support of our A Safe Place families via St. Paul’s Suppers!
St. Paul’s has been providing and delivering nutritious dinners to approximately one hundred individuals each week within the Nantucket community. Their commitment has been generously supported by the Community Foundation for Nantucket, various island non-profits and private donors. If you are interested in being a volunteer on Wednesdays to organize and distribute meals to those in need, please reach out to office@stpaulschurchnantucket.org.
Thank you to Pip & Anchor and Nantucket Resource Partnership for ensuring that our A Safe Place families in need have fresh, healthy produce on their tables each Friday as part of the Nourishing Nantucket program.
From the beginning, Pip & Anchor has been committed to giving back to the community and helping address food insecurity. This effort began humbly with their “Send-It” boxes that customers could purchase for a family in need, filled with fresh, local food. It was through the close partnership between Nantucket Resource Partnership and Pip & Anchor that expansion grew into the Nourishing Nantucket program.
Nourishing Nantucket is funded through a combination of grants and philanthropic donations, inclusive of the Community Foundation for Nantucket.
Jackson Katz is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist who is a pioneer in the fields of gender violence prevention education and media literacy. He is co-founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), which enlists men in the struggle to prevent men’s violence against women.
MVP has become a widely used sexual and domestic violence prevention initiative in college and professional athletics across North America. Katz and his MVP colleagues have also worked extensively with schools, youth sports associations and community organizations, as well as with all major branches of the U.S. military.
