ModelPeer-LedSexualAssaultPreventionPrograms.docVIP

Model Peer-Led Sexual AssaultPrevention Programs: Lessonsfor Engaging and EmpoweringYouth Reports of Focus Groups Michelle Harris Mark Bergeron -Naper MA Department of Public Health September, 1999 Deborah Klein Walker, Ed. D., Assistant Commissioner for Family and Community HealthBonnie J. Tavares, Director, Division of Health PromotionCarlene A. Pavlos, Director, Violence Prevention and Intervention ServicesMarci Diamond, Program Director, Sexual Assault Prevention and Survivor Services Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION 3 II. DESCRIPTION OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS 4 III. METHODOLOGY 6 IV. FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS 7 V. OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 12 VI. APPENDIX: Youth Focus Group Questions 15 This publication was made possible by the Massachusetts Department of PublicHealth, the Violence Against Women Act and the Public Health and Health ServicesBlock Grant from the Center for Disease Control.The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC or the MDPH. I. Introduction In 1995, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) was notified that it would receive new Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) funding for sexual assault prevention initiatives through the Public Health and Health Services Block Grant from the Centers for Disease Control. To create a plan for these new funds, five public meetings were convened by the MDPH. The goal was to determine the need for community-based sexual assault prevention activities in the Commonwealth. Several priorities were identified based on the subsequent meetings. One of the priorities identified was to establish local sexual assault prevention and education demonstration projects, focusing on program development with both adolescent males 12-19 years of age and with cultural-linguistic minorities. Five Sexual Assault Prevention Demonstration Projects were funded in 1997 to 1) provide community organization, primary preventio