Community Education and Awareness

Program Description

An effective way to impact public health is through education and awareness. PVP consistently provides information and resources to the general public and to our partners to broadly reach individuals, impart knowledge, a sense safety for victims, and empowerment to break the cycle of violence.

Goals for these programs include:

• Latino and Hmong residents in East St. Paul will obtain increased awareness, support and services in the are of family violence
  
• Children and families have strong connections to other families, use informal supports in the community to access more community services.
  
• Children affected by family violence will gain important social an emotional skills and increased resiliency providing them with a path of hope toward a positive violence –free future.

The West 7th Family Center works with families with young children by providing a drop-in playroom, Animal Assisted Therapy, and Early Childhood Special Education Inclusion Playgroup.

Activities

Early Education Drop-In Center

This program offers drop-in play time for parents and caregivers that increase socialization opportunities for both caregivers and children. The Drop-In Center, which is located in Monroe Community School (810 Palace Avenue, St. Paul, MN), is host to over approximately 3000 parents, caregivers and preschoolers each year who participate in both structured and unstructured activities. The playroom is staffed by an Early Education Assistant who usually brings one or two of her children with her. She and her children speak English and Spanish. In addition to creating a welcoming space, she is available as a resource for information on child development and educational or recreational activities in the vicinity. There is no charge for using this indoor, bright and beautiful playroom and outdoor preschool playground. The Drop-In Center is available Tuesday through Friday 9am to Noon. For more information, call 651-298-4566.

The impact of this service is evident in parent/caregiver comments:

-“I sometimes just need to talk to other parents and share parenting tips and learn new things.”
-“Rosaura and her children make us feel so welcome!”

-“The space is beautiful and we like getting to play with different toys- the ones at home can get boring!”

Animal-Assisted Therapy

The West 7th Family Center offers an Animal-Assisted Therapy program for children who have witnessed domestic violence and are residents of local Battered Women’s Shelters. We began our pilot program at Eagle’s Nest Woman of Nations Shelter in October 2003 and have started groups at Woman’s Advocates Shelter and most recently in Casa de Esperanza’s shelter. Our “Pet Partners” have been recruited from Helping Paws, Minnesota Inc.” and “Bark Avenue."

We provide activities in each area that promote positive interaction around these skills and also provide humane education on how to approach animals in public. A licensed Art Therapist facilitates the group with a curriculum that allows children of various ages to each get special time with the animals and their human partners. The rewards are immediate and tangible when a child connects with a certain dog and tells them their story, things that they may not have told an adult. Art is then introduced as a way to process experiences in their lives and with the animals in a safe environment.

- “My experiences with the Pet Therapy program at Eagle’s Nest was when I was upset and felt alone. I was really feeling bad and a staff member told me to go downstairs and have some fun. I went to group and the dogs were wonderful and helped me more than I know and other teens like me need this program because it helps a lot when dealing with issues. Especially when living in a shelter it made me feel like I had a friend.”
—Joanna 16 yrs old

-“This year has been an amazing time with the Pet Therapy program. The children we serve have witnessed or been a part of domestic violence. Many of these children have a hard time trusting anyone, but we have seen a change since the program started. When the group starts the magic begins, and the walls that have been built but the children begin to crumble.” —Brianna Carlson

-“Having therapy dogs visit shelters is a very unique program. It is literally on the cutting edge. The West 7th Family Center is responsible for bringing this type of program to the shelter, a program that is all about reaching the deepest part of a person. I am proud to be a volunteer and apart of this amazing group of people who aren’t afraid to reach out with bold new ideas. People who care enough to break out of the mold and learn new ways to reach children who are crying out for help, sometimes so quietly you cannot even hear them in a silent room. These kids have been touched because of the work of PVP.”
—Karen Britton, Delta Society/ Helping Paws Volunteer

Other activities include:

PVP works with community organizations such as UJIMA whose goal is to increase adolescent health by exploring self-image, healthy relationships and self-esteem.

Upcoming events include Sky Blue Matters a play showing a journey into the past, present and future of Minnesota’s immigration puzzle and Journey to Safety is an artistic stage presentation of the challenges facing battered refugee and immigrant women when negotiating legal, medical and government systems.