Kenneth Gooden, Dating and Domestic Violence Prevention Program project director, will present at the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) FY21 Project Director’s Meeting on June 2, virtually.
According to Gooden, OVW chose project directors for the panel recommended by the Technical Assistance (TAs) and Program Specialists. Participants were selected because of their experience in coordinating the day-to-day operations of an interpersonal violence program and their level of training for incidents of dating and domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The project directors on the panel also have experience making presentations to other grantees.
OVW provides federal leadership in developing the national capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Gooden said that the meeting will bring together all OVW project directors, with a focus on supporting new grantees.
“Certain continuation grantees, such as CCC, will offer their advice and wisdom to the new grantees. This is mainly a Q & A session,” said Gooden.
Topics that will be covered will include project management skills, building connections, and creating an effective Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT).
Gooden has served in his current role since 2016. He has focused on providing comprehensive prevention and bystander intervention programming for the campus community, as well as trauma-informed and culturally specific training for situations of sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, and stalking. He has consistently dealt with cultural norms that play a significant role in how individuals view these crimes. He is committed to ensuring sustainability through an ongoing training and prevention education program.
Gooden is excited to make the presentation and glad to share all of the positive strides happening with the CCC program.
“Being able to present on this level is an opportunity to mentor new project directors and coordinators who need some guidance in the early stages of the grant. When I first started off as project coordinator of the Dating and Domestic Violence Prevention Program, we did not have an abundance of information that was helpful to new grantees,” said Gooden. “There were very few institutions in the region that had experience in running an interpersonal violence program that could offer solid advice. This panel allows new programs to ask questions that can provide much-needed help.”
Since its inception, OVW has awarded over $9 billion in grants and cooperative agreements and has launched a multifaceted approach to implementing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). By forging state, local, and tribal partnerships among police, prosecutors, judges, victim advocates, health care providers, faith leaders, and others, OVW grant programs help provide victims with the protection and services they need to pursue safe and healthy lives. All this while simultaneously enabling communities to hold offenders accountable for their violence.
Gooden hopes to share his experiences in the hopes of encouraging and inspiring other grantees and institutions to better support those that they are privileged to serve.
“Some of the things I hope to share with other grantees are the importance of building relationships with key stakeholders in the campus community and building a diverse coordinated community response team that incorporates as many segments of the campus population as possible. It is equally important to develop multiple ways to present prevention and intervention awareness throughout the life of the grant,” added Gooden. “One of the main goals that I would like to impress upon the grantees is to make reaching the underserved population on your campus a top priority. Also, stressing the importance of connecting with students that are not the usual individuals who would get involved with activities on campus.”