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Violence Prevention        

2010 Healthy Youth Survey Skagit County results

Sedro-Woolley Interpersonal Violence Prevention Project (SWIVPP)

United General Hospital’s Community Health Outreach Program, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, initiated this collaborative effort to prevent and reduce youth violence within the Sedro-Woolley School District. TheSWIVPP offers a collaborative, multi-tiered approach to an identified community need in Sedro-Woolley. This one-year pilot project can be replicated in additional school districts and included the following strategies and activities:

  • Convened the SWIVPP Board monthly, involving 15-20 parents, teachers, counselors, coaches, social service providers, juvenile justice representatives, community coalitions, health care professionals and others. The Sedro-Woolley Community Partners coalition has acted as the advisory group for the SWIVPP.
  • Implemented Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) Coaches Leadership Program (a promising practice) with eight coaches at Sedro-Woolley High School, reaching 245 male athletes.CBIM is a social norms-based program intended to alter norms that foster interpersonal violence, promote bystander intervention, and reduce interpersonal violence by engaging athletic coaches as positive role models to deliver violence prevention scripts and tools to athletes.
  • Implemented the evidence-based Strengthening Families Program (SFP) in the Sedro-Woolley School District, reaching 17 families (12 English-speaking; 5 Spanish-speaking).
  • Effected policy change at the district level, focusing on an “Ethical Conduct” clause in the Athletics and Activities Code. This impacts all students who participate in extracurricular activities at Cascade Middle School and Sedro-Woolley High School (over 1000 youth).
  • Trained 24 middle and high school peer educators to conduct 12 bullying prevention and skill building presentations to 916 younger peers in school and community settings.
  • Coordinated “Tough Guise,” a community Film and Forum and Workshop for Professionals with Dr. Jackson Katz, internationally renowned gender violence prevention activist, author, teacher and filmmaker.
  • With Western Washington University Community Health students, coordinated development of “Don’t Remain Silent,” dating violence prevention media materials including posters and public service announcements for radio.

Contact Marjorie Bell (360) 856-7372 for more information.

Additional Resources

Skagit County DVSAS
PFLAG
Loveisnotabuse.com
Breakthecycle.org
Pacer Teens Against Bullying
Jackson Katz