Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
State Coordinator
Karen Lane
P.O. Box 818
Helena, MT 59624
Phone: (406) 443-7794
Fax: (406) 443-7818
Web: www.mcadsv.com
E-mail: klane@mcadsv.com
Overview of State Program
The Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV), incorporated in 1986, is a statewide coalition of individuals and organizations working together to end domestic and sexual violence through advocacy, public education, public policy, and program development. MCADSV's mission is to support and facilitate networking among member organizations while advocating for social change in the state. MCADSV represents more than 50 programs across the state that provide direct services to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence and to their children.
The Montana Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) program began in 2003. MCADSV awarded five DELTA contracts via a competitive bid process following intensive outreach about DELTA to the state's Community Coordinated Response (CCR) teams and member programs. During the initial years of funding, state and local DELTA coordinators developed an instrument to assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about intimate partner violence (IPV). Data collected with this survey provided baseline information for developing prevention strategies.
In 2006, most of the Montana DELTA Advisory Council members transitioned into the DELTA State Steering Committee (SSC), which was charged with creating an IPV prevention plan for the state. SSC membership continued to diversify as youth and other key stakeholders such as men and Native Americans joined. Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) staff remained active members of the Committee. Due to budget considerations, the Coalition could only fund four, rather than five local DELTA communities.
The Montana DELTA Program continues to build the prevention capacity of local communities through Coalition-sponsored regional and statewide training. Topics include primary prevention, program planning, cultural competency, community organizing, evaluation, and working with men and boys to end violence against women. Local communities continue to implement activities that reinforce prevention messages to adult and youth audiences. They are adapting messages that will have greater relevance and appeal in "frontier" communities. For example, one community created a billboard depicting a rancher and his grandson sitting on bales of hay. The caption read, "Do your boys know? Real men teach respect for women. Teach. Talk. Listen. Lead." Other local activities include healthy-relationship curricula, teen-led prevention summits, and training for adults working with youth.
State Future Directions
The State Steering Committee is committed to developing a State Prevention Plan that addresses both sexual and intimate partner violence. With the help of an empowerment evaluator, all of the DELTA communities continue to more rigorously evaluate their prevention activities. Three of the four local CCRs are creating prevention plans.
Local Projects
| 1. | CCR: | Missoula Family Violence Council |
| Fiscal Agent: | YWCA of Missoula | |
| Priority Population: | Adolescents | |
| 2. | CCR: | Ravalli County Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence |
| Fiscal Agent: | Supporters of Abuse Free Environments, Inc. | |
| Priority Population: | Youth | |
| 3. | CCR: |
Carbon County Coordinated Community Response Team |
| Fiscal Agent: | Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Carbon County | |
| Priority Population: | Youth | |
| 4. | CCR: | Hill County Domestic Violence Task Force |
| Fiscal Agent: | HELP Committee and Boys and Girls Club of the Hi-Line | |
| Priority Population: | Adolescents |
Page last modified: June 10, 2008