In January: we were back at Tukwila Community Center for our first membership meeting of 2026. Representatives from our 35+ membership organizations came together to connect with other, vote for new Board of Directors candidates, gear up for the year, and celebrate the wins of 2025. Together, we used the appreciative inquiry approach to identify and celebrate the survival strategies we’ve used to face the challenges of 2025. What conditions led to successful strategies in our teams, our organizations, in our local and regional context and in our larger movement to end gender-based violence? Let’s continue creating the conditions that will let us thrive in 2026!
Lastly, Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck popped by to talk with us about the critical nature of our work and her strong support for the work of gender-based violence advocates.
In March, we wrapped up our Legal Advocacy and Mental Health Series with attorney Fran Schopick and CEGV Justice for Families Project Manager Tracee Parker on the topic of the types of testimony that therapists might be asked to provide in court, the implications of providing testimony, and the basic skills of testifying when required – all within the context of domestic violence relationships.
In the Prevention space, Darin Dorsey of Rooting Movements led a two-day virtual series Integrating Advocacy and Prevention to explore how sexual and domestic
violence organizations might see advocate training as a place for violence prevention and movement building in addition to learning about survivor advocacy. What will it take to move towards a movement-aligned advocate training model that builds community, shared purpose, and solidarity?
In April and May, we held multiple in-person events to give advocates, community partners, and allies in the work to end gender-based violence the opportunity to slow down, process, connect, and celebrate in various ways.
The Spring Advocate Gathering brought together 50+ systems and community-based gender-based violence advocates to network and build relationships through art-based restorative activities. Check out photos and read more about it.
The Spring Preventionists Retreat was a full day event giving 35+ attendees the opportunity to slow down, notice joy and take rest. Read more about it.
We hosted Reflections of Resilience, a full day training exploring secondary trauma and helping participants understand their responses to stress and survival exposure as meaning-ful signals that can be used to support their well-being and strengthen their advocacy practice.
In June and July, we dove into the summer with a co-hosted trainings around a number of topics requested by membership organizations and community partners:
In partnership with the City of Seattle, King County, facilitators Audrey Baedke, Jasmine Conway, and Sarah Ciambrone, a panel of local CSE providers, we hosted Seeing What Often Goes Unseen: Identifying and Supporting Survivors of Exploitation. This training delved into all the ways to best support survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, particularly relevant during a time when we could see a potential rise of CSE during FIFA/World Cup.
In partnership with Enfuse Action Collective, we hosted a two-part training series related to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and domestic and sexual violence survivors. Given the deep intersection of GBV and homelessness, what confidentiality and data protections exist for survivors in larger housing systems? What are the roles of victim service providers and community-based organizations in supporting survivors experiencing housing instability? And what are best practices and emerging strategies to improve survivor access and housing outcomes?
Last but not the least, the Trans Resource and Referral Guide officially launched at Trans Pride! We are thrilled to share it with our community.
Stay tuned for announcements about our Fall and Winter training and events or check out our Events Calendar.