Awards prioritize prevention within vulnerable youth and marginalized communities
The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce the results of its 2024 Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention Services RFP which closed on May 31, 2024. The RFP releases $487,560 in General funding for proposals that will implement programming to prevent GBV, which includes domestic violence, sexual assault, and commercial sexual exploitation. The over-arching goal of this funding is to ensure that all people living in Seattle are free from GBV by investing in upstream prevention efforts to stop violence before it happens.
“Today we reaffirm our commitment to combat gender-based violence, an epidemic that knows no boundaries of race, age, sexuality, or status,” said Tanya Kim, Director, Seattle Human Services Department. “Time and again, communities and families have confirmed what research already shows: focusing our efforts on young people to shift cultural norms and promote gender equity is pivotal. This strategy not only mitigates the impacts of gender-based violence but also secures enhanced safety and well-being for all involved.”
Our Focus: Education and Training
Outcomes through GBV investments include shifting cultural beliefs and promoting gender equity. They also include nurturing skills to increase safety, fostering healthy relationships, and cultivating environments conducive to thriving communities. These investments aim to serve individuals most at risk of causing harm or becoming victims of violence. Specifically, the RFP spotlights two primary prevention strategies:
- Education Programming for Youth (Ages 10-18): Programs that equip youth with relationship skills through behavior-change-focused education and training.
- Building Community Resiliency (All Ages): Community-led activities that address social norms and conditions that facilitate GBV, tailored to meet community needs effectively.
Time and again, communities and families have confirmed what research already shows: focusing our efforts on young people to shift cultural norms and promote gender equity is pivotal. This strategy not only mitigates the impacts of gender-based violence but also secures enhanced safety and well-being for all involved.
Tanya Kim, Director, Human Services Department
The Process and Outcome
The call for proposals yielded 17 applications totaling $3.6 million in requested funds. Fifteen proposals were eligible for review. Each proposal underwent a rigorous review by a committee diverse in gender, age, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. Their collective experience included both lived experience of GBV, homelessness, education, gender equity, and community organizing.
The committee supported three proposals:
The Good Foot Arts Collective’s Creative Leaders Affirming Youth (CLAY) is a healthy relationships and youth violence prevention program that transforms how our BIPOC youth engage with each other through arts education and hip-hop and breakdancing culture. CLAY partners in the health classes at several Seattle Public Schools—including Franklin High School, Rainier Beach High School, Aki Kurose Middle School, and Graham Hill Elementary School—to deliver a developmentally appropriate curriculum that raises awareness about teen dating violence, the warning signs of abuse, sexual assault education, and the building blocks of healthy relationships. This initiative empowers youth through education and mentorship enabling them to reach their full potential in a supportive environment.
Solid Ground WA’s Broadview DV Prevention Program will engage domestic violence survivors living in their shelter and transitional housing, and local students and educators in the community, through their Healthy Relationship Series. The program aims to reach a diverse audience, including:
- Broadview resident youth to disrupt intergenerational cycles of abuse;
- Broadview resident parents seeking to support both their children’s and their own healing journeys;
- Stevens Elementary School students just beginning to form their own interpersonal relationships; and
- Teachers and other program staff responsible for nurturing their growth.
Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB) is launching a new program tailored for American Indian/Alaska Native youth. The program will include leadership development and community-led solutions with urban Native youth representing a diverse range of gender identities and sexual orientations. By creating a platform for these young perspectives, SIHB aims to facilitate meaningful discussions about the contributing factors to GBV and identify opportunities for cultural shifts. Participants will engage in Native-focused violence prevention resources that are culturally attuned to their needs.
“Our ability to support thousands annually with essential services from shelter and housing to counseling and legal advocacy stems from a strong partnership with community and service providers,” said Erika Pablo, Director of HSD’s Safe and Thriving Communities Division. “This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to the well-being and safety of individuals and families impacted by violence, starting with our young people.”
Annually, the Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault joins its network of providers to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Seattle. HSD is posting on our blog and social media this month with tips and resources for how we can all work jointly to prevent, intervene, and end violence in our communities.