Resident initiatives and events

The following are some of the activities and projects:

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. During a kitchen table conversation, residents are able to brainstorm with each other and determine how to respond to and prevent domestic violence in their specific communities.

DIGITAL STORIES
Digital Stories are short videos created by community residents using text, voice-over, pictures, and music. Through using this multi-media tool, Digital Stories provide 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.  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.

NEIGHBORHOOD BASED SAFETY PROJECTS
Close to Home has organized local groups of residents to learn about domestic violence, develop strategies to reach out to family, friends and neighbors experiencing domestic violence, and build community around the issue.  Projects include developing ‘tips’ on how to reach out and provide support to people that we think may be in abusive relationships and a community-based hotline to provide local support to those who may be witnessing or experiencing domestic violence.

BLOCK PARTIES AND FESTIVALS
Recognizing that ties, relationships, and connections are important, the Resident Network puts together fun block parties that pull families out of their homes and into the streets to socialize, talk to one another, build connections, and talk about domestic violence.  By providing domestic violence information in fun, community-building spaces, we are working to erase the shame, silence, and stigma surrounding the issue and are letting people know we are there.

“WHAT’S YOUR TOOL” PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Recognizing the need for more domestic violence information in the community, community residents became a crucial part of the design and implementation team for Close to Home’s first Public Awareness Campaign. To learn more about the public awareness campaign, please visit the What’s Your Tool? section of this website.