Close to Home in action

All of Close to Home’s programs involve volunteers from one or all three of the different groups that make up the Close to Home Network. Below are some of Close to Home’s programs.  If you’d like more information on joining the Close to Home Network, of if you have additional domestic violence prevention ideas that you’d like to discuss, please call us at 617.929.5151.

KITCHEN TABLE CONVERSATIONS
Close to Home convenes groups of eight to ten friends, family members, and neighbors throughout the neighborhood for structured conversation about domestic violence around a kitchen table, a church basement, or wherever is most convenient for residents to meet. Though this process, we are learning how community residents understand and experience domestic violence, what holds them back from intervention, and what motivates them or could motivate them to get involved. For example, a common struggle amongst residents when they hear an incident of domestic violence in the apartment next to theirs is being able to identify the point at which action should be taken. During a kitchen table conversation, residents are able to brainstorm with each other and determine how to respond on their streets and in their neighborhoods.

DIGITAL STORIES
Digital Stories are short videos created by community residents using text, voice-over, pictures, and music. Using this multi-media tool provides opportunities for residents to tell their side of the story about the issue of domestic violence using their own voice, words, and experiences. A Digital Story is the creation of one individual alone, and allows that individual to speak independently and personally about their own relationship to domestic violence.

Digital Stories have proven to be a powerful way to educate community members and service providers about violence. Digital stories are shared with community residents, elected officials, media and domestic violence service providers at community meetings and events, and electronically through email and web postings on this site as a way to increase the visibility of community voice on this issue.

For more information about digital storytelling and to view Close to Home’s digital stories click here. 

WHAT TO DO – WHAT TO SAY COMMUNITY TRAININGS
What to Do – What to Say Community trainings are held for all community members free of charge on a quarterly schedule.  What to Do – What to Say trainings are just that—trainings focused on helping people to brainstorm effective intervention strategies in domestic violence situations.

Oftentimes, when a domestic violence situation arises people feel they do not have the tools or the knowledge about what to do or what to say.  These trainings bring community members together to assess scenarios, and then to brainstorm effective and safe strategies that they then might use.  We hope that by attending one of these trainings, community residents and members will have a toolkit of potential intervention strategies should a domestic violence situation arise. 

To learn more about What to Do – What to Say Trainings or to register for the next one, visit the Upcoming Events section of the website or call the Close to Home office.

COMMUNITY EVENTS
Close to Home also participates in local events and gatherings that are a central part of the rich Dorchester community life. These community events have included the following:

Block Parties. Close to Home maintains an active presence in the Dorchester community by attending many events, including the lively block parties which gather many residents in celebration. At these Block Parties, Close to Home engages residents with domestic violence prevention material while having fun with neighborhood youth in activities like face painting and hat making.

Celebrating Dorchester Day. Dorchester Day is an event which gathers over 100,000 residents from all over to celebrate the rich and unique community life of one of Boston’s most diverse neighborhoods. Close to Home participates by walking along the Parade route and connecting residents with domestic violence prevention and organizational information and giveaways.

Neighborhood Based Safety Projects. Network members have created neighborhood based safety projects aimed at understanding the unique qualities of their neighborhood, then developing local strategies to keep one another safe.  Some projects implemented in the past include developing safety brochures for local neighbors on reaching out to those in hurting relationships and creating a community-based phone line offering neighbors advice and support in domestic violence situations.

THE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
In October 2006, Close to Home launched our first Public Awareness Campaign to raise awareness in the local community about domestic violence prevention.  For this campaign, we met with local residents, community leaders, and youth monthly for 9 months to develop messages, materials, and implementation strategies. This campaign and its message are truly the collaborative work of many different community members coming together around the common goal of domestic violence prevention.

For this year, the Public Awareness Campaign committee members all felt that the message we developed would have to be applicable to all community members, and translate across differences of gender, socio-economic status, and race.  We arrived at a campaign entitled “What’s Your Tool to Prevent Domestic Violence”, focusing on helping people to see and realize that everyday objects can be powerful tools for domestic violence prevention.  For instance, a cup of coffee or a game of soccer are opportunities that allow people to build connection and provide support.  For more information on the Public Awareness Campaign, visit the Materials section of the website.

NETWORK PUBLICATIONS
Network members have published written materials to hand out to their peers to increase understanding and safety around domestic violence. Some past projects aimed at disseminating written information to peers and local social networks include a tips brochure and a quarterly newsletter produced by the Close to Home Youth Team to raise awareness with their peers about teen dating violence.

ATTENDING LOCAL CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETINGS
Neighborhood Civic Associations meet monthly and allow residents the chance to address current issues in the neighborhood ranging from business and housing development to political campaigns. Close to Home staff attends local association meetings and gives presentations on domestic violence prevention and current Close to Home activities.