The YWCA Northcentral pa is dedicated to educating the community

Each of the YWCA's prevention and awareness educational sessions are designed to advocate, empower, and provide learning opportunities that inspire individuals throughout Lycoming County to create safer, equitable communities and to aid in the prevention of sexual and domestic violence.

The YWCA Northcentral PA’s Prevention & Awareness Education team provides violence prevention and awareness education, trainings, and workshops throughout our community. Offered to children and teens, college students, community and service groups, local youth groups, the medical industry, and other professional groups, sessions are customized to meet the specific audience’s needs.

Dating violence is more common than you may think, especially among teens and young adults.

1 in 3 teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual or emtional abuse from someone they're in a relationship with before becoming adults. To learn more about Unhealthy Connections – download the Unhealthy Connections PSA Companion Guide.

Prevention & awareness Education topics

Learn more about all our Prevention Education team has to offer below.

BECOMING TRAUMA-INFORMED

*THIS SERIES CAN BE TAILORED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS*

Learn about trauma-informed care, a strength-based framework that emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for both providers and survivors. This approach creates opportunities for survivors to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment.

BULLYING PREVENTION

This training helps students identify bullying and ways to prevent it, with information tailored to their grade level.

BYSTANDER INTERVENTION FOR STUDENTS

Bystander Intervention training teaches students to be proactive bystanders, distinguish between teasing and hurtful actions, and take responsibility to help in potentially dangerous situations.

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND BIAS

Promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace boosts morale. This training addresses unconscious and implicit biases that can affect professional interactions and decisions.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 101

*THIS SERIES CAN BE TAILORED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS*

Trained professionals offer this training for all audiences, covering dynamics, prevalence, and advocacy skills. Topics include abuse types, cycles, identification, effects on children, and protection from abuse orders.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional Intelligence training equips individuals with practical skills to understand the language of emotions and manage high-stress environments. It focuses on developing self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and social skills for individuals of various age ranges and professional backgrounds.

GIRL EMPOWERMENT

This workshop empowers girls by providing tools and activities to boost self-confidence, make positive choices, and develop skills for making a positive impact on the world.

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS FOR ADULTS

This training focuses on healthy relationships for adults, covering topics such as improving unhealthy relationships, warning signs, creating boundaries, effects on children, and how to support someone in an unhealthy relationship. Participants will reflect on their personal relationships to guide their understanding.

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP PROJECT (CARE FOR KIDS, WE CARE ELEMENTARY, SAFE-T)

The Healthy Relationship Project offers three targeted training programs suitable for both youth and educators/caregivers, covering age-appropriate topics such as communication, nurturing skills, and understanding boundaries. Care for Kids is for children aged 3-8, We Care Elementary for grades 3-6 with a focus on comfortable discussion, and SAFE-T for grades 7-8 with a focus on skill-building for healthy relationships.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

*THIS SERIES CAN BE TAILORED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS*

Human trafficking is a hidden crime that requires identification of victims to rescue and bring perpetrators to justice. This training educates on what trafficking is, who can be targeted, how to identify it, and how to respond if it's witnessed.

PARENTING FOR PREVENTION

The "Parenting for Prevention" course equips parents with skills to prevent sexual abuse of their children. The multi-week program covers healthy relationships, consent, warning signals in abusers, and more. Parents completing the course will feel confident in discussing topics like teen dating violence and sexual assault with their children.

PREVENTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

Sexual harassment training educates employers, supervisors, and employees on what constitutes sexual harassment, relevant laws, and compliance requirements. It also covers appropriate workplace behavior, bystander roles and how to react when witnessing harassment, and best practices to prevent sexual violence.

RELATIONSHIPS DECODED

"Decoding Relationships" training is tailored to help individuals with developmental challenges learn how to recognize signs of abuse and coercion, understand consent, and recognize social-sexual laws and norms. The training is divided into introductory and advanced levels and covers assertiveness and reporting abuse.

SEXUAL ASSAULT 101

*THIS SERIES CAN BE TAILORED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS*

Sexual Assault 101 is a training program that educates people on the definition of sexual assault and how to respond to it. It covers types of assault, dangers of sexting, human trafficking, and effective advocacy skills that support safety and empowerment. The program is suitable for audiences of all ages, as sexual assault can happen to anyone, anywhere.

SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE COERCION

*THIS SERIES CAN BE TAILORED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS*

Sexual and reproductive coercion is a prevalent type of abuse in many relationships, involving physical violence, threats, and emotional and verbal abuse. This workshop covers the connections between reproductive health, domestic violence, and survivor safety, training participants to assess patients for intimate partner violence.

STRANGULATION, TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

*THIS SERIES CAN BE TAILORED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS*

Domestic violence victims are at risk of sustaining traumatic brain injuries (TBI) due to blunt force to the head, neck, and face area. TBI can cause severe neurological damage and compound with trauma, leading to more severe injuries. However, many victims may not receive medical care, increasing the likelihood of recurrent TBIs. Our professionals provide information on the effects of TBI and strangulation on the brain, and how to refer domestic violence victims with TBI to victim services.

TEEN DATING VIOLENCE

*THIS SERIES CAN BE TAILORED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS*

Preventing teen dating violence through a comprehensive, best-practices model that includes a school-wide dating violence policy. This training will equip students with the tools and strength to be leaders in preventing dating violence among their peers.

UNDERSTANDING THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY

This training provides workshops on various topics related to the LGBTQIA+ community, including gender expression, microaggressions, allyship, and more. The presentation style can be tailored for different audiences and professional settings.

Schedule an Educational Experience

To schedule an educational experience, contact a member of our YWCA Team:

Shantay Hall

Medical Advocacy & Prevention Education

Erin Timmins

Advocacy & Prevention Supervisor