Joy Ingram, CEO and Founder of Love & Joy, discusses her journey from Georgia to Virginia, where she began advocacy work for domestic violence survivors. She highlights her roles at New Directions and RAFT, emphasizing the importance of supporting advocates to prevent burnout. Joy also shares her personal experience as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, which fueled her passion for advocacy. She notes that over 60% of advocates in the field of domestic abuse are survivors themselves and need consistent self-care and systematic changes within non-profit organizations. Joy plans to expand her Love & Joy consulting and workshop services to help and support more agencies and advocate organizations.

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KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Joy shares her background, born in Hawaii and raised in Rome, Georgia, before moving to Atlanta.
2. She explains her move to Staunton, Virginia, through an early college entrance exam.
3. Joy recounts her midlife crisis in 2016, which led her to make a connnection with a woman at her church and who adopted her into her family.
4. Joy discusses her passion for helping survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, which began with her own experience.
5. Joy begins volunteering at a rape crisis center in Decatur, Georgia, and later at a crisis center in Atlanta.
6. She explains the New Beginnings organization and their programs and services.
7. Joy discusses the RAFT (Resilience for Advocates Through Foundational Training) and its mission to support advocates working in the domestic abuse fields.
8. She highlights the unique stresses faced by advocates, such as vicarious trauma from dealing with survivor issues throughout each working day.
9. Joy shares statistics that 61% of all advocates in the domestic abuse field are survivors of abuse themselves.
10. She discusses the importance of collaboration and communication between domestic violence agencies, sparking her idea to form her own consulting firm.
11. Joy explains her Love and Joy company and its place in supporting advocates in domestic abuse agencies, including workshops to prevent job burnout and promote self care.
12. She offers advice to survivors still in an abusive relationship as well as how to receive support after the end of the abusive partnership.

LINKS:

Love and Joy Facebook Page

RAFT (Resilience for Advocates Through Foundational Training)

www.financialabusehelp.net

Maisha Colter, CEO of AVDA in Texas, discusses her extensive background in social work and law, emphasizing her transition from social work to law to better advocate for vulnerable populations, particularly children and women. AVDA provides legal services for thousands every year, focusing on family court cases and economic abuse. Maisha highlights the organizations BIPP program, which educates abusers on gender roles and communication, and its annual interfaith workshop to train faith leaders on supporting domestic violence survivors. AVDA also conducts various community outreach events and toy drives. Maisha emphasizes the importance of safety planning and self-care for survivors.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Maisha shares her background and extensive travel due to parents' military careers.
2. Maisha discusses her education history, starting with a bachelors' in policy studies and social work in New York.
3. She explains her decision to pursue social work instead of law, working with children in foster care and doing family reunification.
4. Maisha shares how her experiences as a social worker led her back to law school to finish her studies.
5. She discusses the benefits of having both social work and legal skills, particularly in advocating for vulnerable populations like women and children.
6. Maisha explains the evolution of domestic abuse support, particularly in recognizing and addressing financial abuse.
7. Maisha provides examples of economic abuse, which often involves isolation from financial decision making.
8. She outlines the legal services offered by AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse) including divorce, custody, child support and property issues.
9. Maisha explains in depth AVDA's BIPP program, which targets indivduals convicted on family violence crime, providing re-education on gender roles and communication.
10. Maisha discusses AVDA's Interfaith workship and vigil, to educate faith leaders in recognizing and support survivors of domestic abuse.
11. Maisha shares the challenges of reaching out to many diverse communities and the importance of culturally specific community organizations.
12. She mentions upcoming events and a gala in 2025.
13. Maisha emphasizes to survivors the importances of safety planning and seeking resources in advance of leaving, as well as after leaving the relationship.
14. She highlights that the survivor of domestic abuse needs continuing resources and support, which can be found through contacting a local domestic violence organization.

LINKS:

AVDA Website

Battering Intervention & Prevention Program (BIPP)

Interfaith Workshop & Vigil

www.financialabusehelp.net

Rosie Watson discusses her work as Head of External Relations with the Domestic Abuse Alliance in the United Kingdom, focusing on reducing the time victims receive legal support from weeks to hours using the WEPROTECT app. She highlights the recent United Kingdom law change recognizing coercive control as a criminal offense, now managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements. Rosie emphasizes the hidden nature of domestic abuse, particularly financial abuse, and the importance of employer support. The organization also provides interpretation and translation services to expand their effectiveness with a growing global population and is committed daily to bringing immediate legal support for domestic abuse survivors.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Rosie explains her initial involvement in the domestic abuse field through her work with Police and Crime Commissionors.
2. She details her transition to the Domestic Abuse Alliance and expresses gratitude for a platform to focus on global issues.
3. Rosie explains the historical view of domestic violence and the introduction of the coercive control law recently passed in the United Kingdom, including its details and effects on abusers.
4. She emphasizes the importance of the passing of the coercive control law, putting especially financial abuse on par with other forms of arrestable domestic violence offenses.
5. Rosie explains the development of the WEPROTECT app, which significantly reduces the time it takes victims to receive civil legal support.
6. She explains the WEPROTECT app is free to use police forces, frontline services and victims.
7. Rosie discusses the challengers of funding for support services and the new government's pledge to greatly reduce violence against women within the next 10 years.
8. She expresses her concerns about the continued use of means testing to verify services for domestic abuse victims.
9. Rosie elaborates on the need for employers and employees alike to receive domestic violence awareness training.
10. She explains how the recent pandemic was a perfect storm for domestic abuse perpetrators and victim survivors.
11. Rosie highlights the importance of creating safe spaces at work to start conversations about domestic abuse and empowering line managers and HR teams to support effected workers.
12. Rosie discusses the Domestic Abuse Alliance's upcoming fundraising and event plans.

LINKS:

Domestic Abuse Alliance Website

WEPROTECT App Information

www.financialabusehelp.net