PO Box 236 710 Garfield Street, Suite 218 Laramie, WY 82073

Wyoming BE THE SOLUTION Communication Plan

he Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (WCADVSA) adopted the BE THE SOLUTION campaign to raise awareness that sexual violence is perpetrated in Wyoming, and there are actions we can take to prevent it. The message, “Learn about it. Talk about it. Change it”, was implemented to engage the population of TWyoming in a cyclical learning and action process to continually learn about sexual violence and prevention. This cyclical learning and action process specifically asks Wyomingites to take action to change unhealthy norms that permit sexual violence, and, in time, prevent it.

Campaign Approach: When developing the 2015 primary better understanding of the culture of their sexual violence prevention awareness community. campaign, the advisory committee carefully The campaign advisory committee also considered a number of factors. First, a recognized that Wyomingites, within their statewide community readiness assessment daily lives, participate in a social structure as from 2009 results showed that, overall, they connect with their family, friends, and Wyoming community members are concerned communities. For that reason, the committee about sexual violence, but there is little considered the Socio-Ecological Model recognition that it is occurring in their (SEM) that identifies four levels of influence communities (denial/resistance stage). Some on individuals’ lives (Individual, communities are at a higher level of readiness Relationship, Community and Society) when and do recognize that sexual violence is a developing the campaign message for local problem and may be starting to take Wyoming (Centers for Disease Control and action to address it. Since the overall Prevention, 2004). The campaign advisory population is in the denial/resistance stage, committee feels that the campaign message the campaign is intended as an awareness will reach audiences that deny or resist that raising tool to open dialogue among sexual violence occurs in Wyoming, and the community members, share knowledge about message addresses the four levels of influence sexual violence, and collectively work to outlined in the SEM below. The campaign prevent the perpetration of sexual violence. message provides clear action steps that Additionally, because not all communities are reflect the social norms approach of meeting at the same level of readiness, it is important readiness levels to deconstruct harmful social that communities take ownership of the norms that cause sexual violence while campaign at the local level as they have a promoting positive social change.

Social Ecological Model (SEM)*

Implementation Strategy: Although the BE THE SOLUTION relationship, community and societal levels. campaign is a statewide campaign, the For that reason, we need to consider that advisory committee understands that the community members have more knowledge campaign will only be successful if we of how to best implement the campaign in consider the unique set of norms in each of their community. Additionally, taking the our communities. The message of the time to connect with different individuals and campaign is to encourage the people of organizations about the campaign allows you Wyoming to learn and talk about sexual to build relationships with outside partners violence and take action to stop it from with whom you may be able to collaborate occurring. In order for the campaign to be with to prevent sexual violence now and in effective, we need to be strategic in how we the future. Please look at the assets of your talk with our families, friends, and other community, and tailor the campaign to fit community members in a manner that aligns those needs. Please refer to Appendix A for with the public health approach and focuses intervention strategies at the individual, on intervening at the individual, relationship, community and societal levels.

Types of Events: Community members are better equipped to identify activities where the campaign

Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault PO Box 236 |710 Garfield Street, Suite 218 |Laramie, WY 82073 Tel: 307-755-5481 | Fax: 307-755-5482 | Toll Free: 1-844-264-8080 E-Mail: [email protected] may be shared locally. Consider activities and events that are already happening in your community that can help you promote the campaign. Develop your own events utilizing the campaign, such as fundraising or public policy events, or share the BE THE SOLUTION message at an event you are already hosting. Decide what the goal of the campaign means for your community, and choose activities that will help you meet that goal according to your program’s capacity.

hair salons, etc. Remember, the campaign is Products: not simply about circulating campaign Products were carefully chosen to appeal products, but is about using the campaign as to various audiences and events. For an opportunity to educate and build example, young children may enjoy the partnerships with community members in crayons or rubber ducks; tweens may enjoy order to prevent sexual violence. mirrors for their lockers; teenagers may want a keychain or magnet for their cars; college students may find the tablet stand useful, and so on. Brainstorm how you can engage your community with these products. For example, you might be able to partner with a local restaurant to provide the crayons for the children’s menus, or maybe you can partner with your local library to use the mousepads at their public computers. Summer items like flying discs, beach balls and picnic blankets may grab peoples’ attention at outdoor events, sporting events or picnics. Many items are great as giveaways or handouts at training events. Think creatively about where you can distribute campaign products to fit your community’s culture, such as colleges, hospitals, gyms, restaurants, coffee shops,

evaluation. When you receive the evaluation, we ask that you complete it and return it to us Help with evaluation: to give us a clearer picture of the campaign’s When a program/organization requests dosage, impact and effectiveness. In the BE THE SOLUTION products, the meantime, connect with the WCADVSA for WCADVSA will follow up with an assistance with strategic planning and implementation of the BE THE SOLUTION Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault PO Box 236 |710 Garfield Street, Suite 218 |Laramie, WY 82073 Tel: 307-755-5481 | Fax: 307-755-5482 | Toll Free: 1-844-264-8080 E-Mail: [email protected] campaign or any additional questions or Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. comments. Please let the WCADVSA know Department of Justice. The opinions, how you are utilizing BE THE SOLUTION findings, conclusions, and recommendations so that we may share with other Wyoming expressed in this publication are those of the communities on the website at author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the bethesolutionwyo.org. views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. Thank you to the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs for use of their BE THE SOLUTION brand and logo.

Resources: *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexual violence prevention: beginning the dialogue. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 2004.

Learn more at the following websites: Utilizing the Social Ecological Model http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/overview /social-ecologicalmodel.html Sexual Violence and the Spectrum of Prevention http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/Publicatio ns_NSVRC_Booklets_Sexual-Violence-and-the- Spectrum-of-Prevention_Towards-a-Community- Solution_0.pdf Implementation strategies that follow prevention principles http://209.198.129.131/images/AmPsy_WhatWor ksInPrevention_6-7-2003.pdf The Tri-Ethnic Center’s explanation of the “denial/resistance” stage and how to increase your Attributions: community’s readiness level This product was supported by Grant http://triethniccenter.colostate.edu/communityRea No. 2012-WR-AX-0016 awarded by the diness_home.htm

Appendix A SEM Intervention Everyone can Engage Youth to Community leaders can BE What is your strategy for Strategies BE THE SOLUTION BE THE SOLUTION THE SOLUTION BE THE SOLUTION? Individual: target social and Start one-on-one Ask young adults how their Connect and partner with cognitive skills through conversations about how the peers may learn about healthy local organizations and counselling and educational language we use can be sexuality and invite them to discuss how certain sessions. harmful. Comments that co-facilitate a discussion with individual attitudes promote gender inequality you around sexual violence. perpetuate sexual violence. contribute to sexual violence culture. Relationship: may include Speak up if you see someone Engage students to share Offer educational trainings bystander intervention skill trying to take advantage of a ideas as to how they can for students and teachers at development and parent person who is intoxicated. show their support for fellow schools, but also for the training. classmates and take a stand parents. against sexual violence. Community: individuals and Assess your organizational or Encourage students to start a Coordinate a “town hall communities must identify community environment and peer mentor program in their meeting” in your community what characteristics lead to establish what is happening in school to prevent sexual to talk about sexual violence, the harmful environment and those settings that imply violence and challenge the and organize a group of make changes that impact the sexual violence perpetration norms in their school that community leaders to climate, systems and policies is acceptable and condoned. contribute to sexual violence. develop a plan to prevent it. that allow for perpetration of Share those concerns with co- sexual violence. workers, school administrators, students and other community members. Societal: include questioning Get on top of the messages When mobilized, youth have Talk to local merchants about societal norms, determining that media sends out to all of a strong voice that may sexual violence and ask them which norms perpetuate us. Critically examine media resonate louder with policy- to move harmful magazines violence, and identifying and how the fantasy worlds it makers. Help adolescents see out of the checkout lines strategies to change those portrays influence people and that they are an asset and where they are readily norms. Another intervention preserve a culture of sexual provide them with available to the hands and strategy is to collaborate with violence. opportunities to reach out to eyes of children. other individuals, programs policy-makers. or systems to change laws and policies related to inequality and sexual violence.