Viewpoints: Letters / Opinions
Violence Prevention
By Agnes Moran
December 16, 2017
Saturday AM
Alaska leads the nation in per capita incidence of sexual assault and domestic violence. Unfortunately, as the recent headlines in the Ketchikan Daily News indicate, Ketchikan is not exempt from these statistics. Women in Safe Homes (WISH) is working to eliminate violence in our community through community partnerships and primary prevention and education programs.
WISH is partnering with the Ketchikan Wellness Coalition, Ketchikan Indian Community, and other community members to conduct an updated community needs and readiness assessment. The results from this process will be used to create a new intimate partner violence prevention plan that will be used to drive primary prevention coalition activities. A map of community prevention activities is being developed to visualize where gaps and duplication of efforts are occurring across organizations.
WISH has led the implementation of primary prevention programs such as Girls on the Run, COMPASS, Coaching Boys into Men, and the 4th R Healthy Relationships curriculum in Ketchikan for numerous years. WISH is working to bring the boys running program, Let Me Run, to the community this spring. WISH is working with the University of Alaska Southeast to support the formal implementation of the Green Dot, a violence prevention and bystander intervention program, community wide.
The Ketchikan Wellness Coalition is engaged in initiatives around the prevention of drug and alcohol use in minors, as well as suicide prevention activities. Ketchikan Public Health is carrying out initiatives to prevent childhood illness and infectious diseases, support maternal health, and prevent overdose deaths. Ketchikan Youth Initiatives is increasing protective factors by developing skills in youth that promote gainful employment and community involvement.
Many community organizations are dedicated to breaking the cycle of violence in Ketchikan. Please contact WISH, or any of the organizations mentioned here, and get involved in prevention activities. With your support we can create a community where all members can live free of violence.
Agnes Moran
Executive Director
Women in Safe Homes
Ketchikan, Alaska
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Editor's Note:
The text of this letter was NOT edited by the SitNews Editor.
Received December 13, 2017
- Published December 16, 2017
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