The time has come again! It is time to celebrate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW). This year the observance will be April 22-28, 2012. Our very own Crime Victim Care of Allen County (CVC) is hosting a remembrance event on April 26 from 11:30-1:30pm at the Forensic Nursing – Sexual Assault Center, located at 2270 Lake Avenue, Suite 201, food will be provided, stories shared, victims remembered and Victim Advocates honored. The theme of the event is “Extending the Vision Reaching Every Victim Luncheon and Remembrance”. CVC is a non-profit organization that aims to bring wholeness to immigrant and refugee families who experience brokenness due to violence, crime and abuse. On our journey, we at CVC, hope to create healthy integration of non-English speaking immigrants and refugees as contributing members of the community. Within our program, we target utilizing multi-cultural perspectives and commitment to service to build trusting relationships. We are cultural advocates to help refugees adjust to the legal and cultural expectations of the United States and the local community by providing emotional, social, and spiritual support. During this week, we are joining forces with victim service programs, criminal justice officials, and concerned citizens throughout Ft. Wayne to raise awareness of victims’ rights. We look forward to observing the week with you. Give us a call (260) 484-1414 to RSVP please.

March 2, 2012 11:30-1:30pm: “PARENTING & CULTURAL CHALLENGES FACING IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES” A  discussion….

• To increase awareness of challenges immigrant and refugee parents
  and children face as they navigate American cultures for positive
  integration.

• To consider what are the desirable qualities of family life that
  can be discerned as being universally honored across cultures.

• To report on the first steps
  taken by some community partners in developing The Immigrant and Refugee
  Children & Families System of Care Initiative.

• To invite community partners to participate to join in further
  developing The Immigrant and Refugee Children & Families System of Care
  through processes of collective wisdom to assist families

RULE:

Respect each other’s opin­ions. You don’t  have to agree with everything said and heard, but keep  your emotions in check.

OUR TIME TOGETHER: Meet, Greet, & Eat, Presentation  by SCAN, Panel Presentation Discussion  (Diverse Parenting Educators)AnnouncementsCollaboration
& Networking

NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE TO:

 347 West Berry, Suite 101. Fort Wayne, IN 46802

 Enter off of Ewing Street under green awning. You will see the sign on   the    building  entrance on Ewing Street for St. Joseph Community Health Foundation,
Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, Catherine Kasper Place. Please park on the
metered spots on Ewing and Berry Streets or in nearby paid parking lots.  

Thanks all for your attention and response to this upcoming forum. We so deeply look forward to seeing you at SJCHF on March the 2nd

JANUARY 6, 2012: FORT WAYNE, IN: Several local agencies gathered in one room at Crime Victim Care of Allen County offices to fellowship and plan for the annual Community Communication Forum needs. Seventeen (17) local agencies: (The Reclamation Project, The Mayor’s office, the Fort Wayne Police Department, Urban League, Crime Victim Care, The Multicultural Information Exchange (MIX), The Department of Child Services (DCS), Allen County Juvenile Center, Stop Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN), The Burmese Advocacy Center (BAC), Catherine Kasper Place (CKP), Ivy Tech, The Neighborhood Action Center (NAC), The Backyard Missionary Center (BMC), Indiana University Purdue University (IPFW), Grace College, Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, The Park Center, and The Sexual Assault Treatment Center joined hands to share ideas on how best we can work together to build our diverse community safer. All these agencies enthusiastically showed how much they care about their community. CVC is always passionate to see all agencies working together and finding ways to establish greater bonding and support to each other in order to offer holistic approach to providing services to our community. While CVC’s primary targets are refugees and immigrants, it is hoped that all the agencies that participated in this planning have some connection to serve similar clients. After we start implementing our collaborative trainings and forums, this will lead to enhanced and improved outcomes for refugee and immigrant families. Through coordination of services, network and support being readily available and easily accessible to all agencies involved, we will all be able to see the best practices ever established in our community. By this, agency directors will understand the multi-agency goals, programs, practitioners’ activities, and know where, how and when to refer clients to those agencies. Our collaboration will assemble consensus, strengthen partnership voice, breakdown professional boundaries and close-minded attitudes. With this collaboration, we can help to establish a more unified community approach through united multi-agency practitioners taking greater ownership and responsibility for addressing local refugee and immigrant needs jointly, thus avoiding duplication or overlap of service provision. As we continue to build our community, our working together will promote mutual support, encouragement and the exchange of ideas between leadership, staff, helping the sharing of expertise, knowledge and resources for training and good practice, leading to more manageable workloads in the community. It is not only that we will increase our awareness of  the services offered and those needed by the target population, but we will also establish an improved co-ordination of services resulting in better relationships, improved referrals and the addressing of joint targets based upon agency expertise. This will help improve understanding and raise awareness of issues and agencies, and other professional’s practices we have in our community. With the support from the county, the city and other interested parties, our collaboration will also increase the level of trust existing between partners/providers in relation to everyone knowing clearly what each can and will deliver. 2012 should surely be a great year for each one involved and those interested in joining us. Please know that all the identified agencies will host forums not unless communicated otherwise from CVC about any changes. In the next few days you will access our calendar via the web with online registration attached. We are blessed to have you all in our team and know that your wisdom is needed to better our community.

• State of Indiana

Indiana Department of Child Services Encourages Shoppers to Wear Blue on Black Friday

Community peacemakers:

This is to inform you that CVC will not be hosting its November and December
monthly communication forums because of the many changes taking place at the CKP
venue that we usually use and also the many dateline activities taking place at
CVC.

Be reminded that beginning January 6, 2012, CVC will be
holding its first Friday monthly forums at a different location to be determined
before end of the year.

Your generous support, participation and continuous cultural skill sharing
has made CVC to be what it is. Looking forward to see you all in our forum come January 6th of 2012.

October Domestic Violence Month

Imagine living in a world of VIOLENCE where no one  cares, no one listens, no one understands, and no one speaks up and out against domestic violence. Is the faith community speaking up and out against domestic violence? Is the faith community a shamed to speak out and loud against domestic violence? Is it not in the faith community where most marriages take place and the values of that institution upheld? Is it not the faith community where the married attend to be nurtured in their faith? Is it not the faith community where people meet and encourage one another when going through marriage problems? This blog aimed at the faith communities comes at a time when we reflect upon many strides our nation, state, county and city have taken in making sure victims of domestic violence are heard, have a voice and a space to address their victimization. The month of October being a domestic violence month calls for all faith communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples etc) to create some awareness in their gatherings. Let the preachers, Rabbis, imams, Sheikhs etc do a theme of preaching or teaching on domestic violence, recruit adult men of integrity to mentor young boys, educate men and women on their significant roles in keeping their marriage vows through respect, love and encouragement. Let small groups meet to discuss from a religious perspective the impact of domestic violence in faith institutions, schools, families and work places. May you receive many blessings as you become one of the great advocates and implementers of change that will benefit victims of domestic violence. For more information read this link: BREAKINGSILENCE

Did you know that CVC is always available to bridge the linguistic and cultural gaps especially related to diverse family issues? How would it feel like living in a foreign land without understanding how best to discipline, mentor, raise, tutor or protect your child? Thanks to our great community of funders, volunteers, and supporters who work tirelessly to make sure diversity becomes a blessing to our community. In this writing, I would like you to seriously consider partnering with us to implement a model that the local school system, court, law enforcement, department of child services and many others will benefit from. The proposed narration emerged out of several meetings of a team of passionate family case workers,  immigrants and refugee mentors so that CVC will soon bring this pilot project proposal into fruition.

NURTURING IMMIGRANT CHILDREN & FAMILIES INITIATIVE

Building on the 4 C’s: Compassion, Cooperation, Connection, and Communication

CVC is in the process of birthing one of its kind pilot project that will change the world of our community forever. A team of family experts from different agencies have spent several hours to draft a proposal that will eventually become a community tool to nurture the refugee and immigrant families with their children. It all started with a group focusing on elements that would assist the formation of a focus to address issues affecting immigrant and refugee parents and children at their formative stage (0-5 years old). 

Toward this intention of creating a mission statement, CVC traced the origin of the initiative as connected to ONE FAMILY ONE HEART ONE VOICE and as a continuation and outgrowth of the panel presentation for the Community Communication Forum sponsored by Crime Victim Care.   Early language for this initiative was formulated as an expression of those who are interested in One Family One Heart One Voice and who affirm the following statement: WE work with others across religion and culture to nurture children and families in their homes and within their neighborhoods and school communities. 

The question from the previous meeting was restated, “What are the needs of children and families that are not being adequately addressed in our community as a whole and also particularly the needs of refugee and immigrants?” 

It was noted that answers to this question were collected and noted from previous meeting and that any new answers would be added to that list.

 Several statements were put forth that went to the feeling level:

1. Immigrants and refugees need to feel that they connect to and have a sensing of belonging to the community.
2. Each refugee family needs to feel that their family is supported by the community and that they can connect to other families.
3. Immigrant and refugee children feel that they are accepted and integrating in schools.
4. Parents need to feel that their children are not being Americanized to the point of rebelling against the parents and parental values regarding culture.
5. Immigrant and refugee parents need a relationship with a person who they trust who is integrated in the majority culture and who also respects the culture of the parents.

 Suggestions were made about how we can create a means and a working model by which immigrants and refugees can speak for themselves about their FAMILY needs. 

CVC’s goal is to bring together refugee and immigrant community leaders and agency representative together with those leaders from DCS, SCAN, Urban league, the Center for Nonviolence, Burmese Advocacy Center, Early Childhood Alliance to be part of the ONE FAMILY ONE HEART ONE VOICE which allows for immigrants and refugees to speak for themselves about their need to some degree.  This process invites immigrants and refugees to share their heart and voice in their own language regarding their hopes and dreams, needs, and the obstacles they face.  

 Discussion ideas which this Initiative may take some action led to the group:

The group explored various ways to describe the nature of such actions relative to the needs.

Terms such as systems of care, proactive, prevention, intervention, voluntary and compulsory were defined in different ways.  The difference between providers and relationships that are “formal” and “informal” were also discussed.

CVC’s goal in pursuing resources to help in this effort will be to help in establishing formal systems of care can be defined as those in which there is a public mandated responsibility to help or intervene or public regulation regarding standards of care such as schools, child protective services, court process, mental health, and health care in general.  

 Key issues to be addressed if grant is secured.  

• Support to immigrant and refugee parents
• Support from conception to toddlers
• Support for preschool children
• Support to elementary level children
• Support to refugee/immigrant middle school adolescents, high school teens 

IDEAS WERE COLLATED IN TWO CATEGORIES:

Ideas for preventive or voluntarily accessed services included:

• Parent coaches
• Parent support groups that help them vent frustrations and help process adjusting to the community
• Resource persons who can be easily accessed regarding various concerns
• Easy access to interpreters
• Kid-basics in all languages
• Before / Lunch/ After school gatherings for middle and high school teens on topics that straddle cultures such as sex, bullying, cheating, healthy relationships, dating, domestic violence. 
• National Association for Educators (www.neayc.org) birth through 8 – should be embraced by public schools and schools can do a great deal to build community and strengthen relationships between youth.
• Cultural market day – 1/month – at different farmer’s markets
• Talk it out program – conflict resolution for children and youth
• Sport activities that promote team building and leadership for teens
• Support current programs: Book Buddies, Music Together, Read and Rise and locate these near where diverse families live such as in low income housing, churches, libraries
• A Concert of Colors –annual cultural concert at our local park/s
  • Classes on life skills
  • Food education and promotion of healthy eating and farmers markets
  • Preventative health and wellness education and support
  • Child literacy programs
  • Supervised playgroups – parents cooperatives 

 Ideas for helping in formal systems of care

• Personal advocates who can help clarify navigate the systems of care
• Need for health care
• Insure that each agency has a way to allow persons to be heard and get support
• Easy access to interpreters
• Assist DCS caseworkers and court officials to understand needs of immigrants and refugees
• Support mothers involved with DCS, courts, etc (Center for Nonviolence has done some work here)
• Provide better mental health support for immigrants and refugees who are dealing with any form of family loss, sexual assault, intimate partner/ domestic violence, or child abuse.
• Support One Church One Offender
• Work with faith communities where immigrant and refugees are often available to establish a mentoring program for them

This training is designed for victim service providers in the fields of the law enforcement, criminal justice, health care, social services, education, business, and more. Participants will be equipped with the necessary awareness and skills to engage in support, advocacy, and care for clients from diverse cultures.

Through experiential exercises, participants will be able to recognize the cultural barriers within their agencies, how it impacts their services, and how to overcome them. This opportunity for self-discovery will explore topics such as:

• how to partner with cultural specialists
• how to use cultural mediators
• where to find multicultural resources and tools
• what you need to know about violence in our community
• the cultural linkage between the traditional organizations and the diverse populations

Please join us as we value the diversity of our city through this unique educational opportunity. We welcome all who come with open hearts, minds, and insights. Come hear Fort Wayne native Michelle Corrao’s inspiration story!

FOR: Immigrant and Refugee Service Providers (Court system, Law enforcement, attorneys, health-care providers, social workers, educators, businesses, the public etc)

WHEN: Friday, August 12

Time: 8:00am – 3:00pm

WHERE: Catherine Kasper Place, 2826 South Calhoun St. Fort Wayne, IN 46807
COST: $30 — Breakfast, lunch, and training materials included

PRESENTERS: Michelle Carrao (Guest Speaker) Saneta Maiko, Ph.D., Babra Chakanyuka, BSc., and Tena Dellaca-Hedricks, As,HS., AAVA.
NOTE: Certificates of Attendance will be provided

TO REGISTER: Send an email to seekcvsrs@yahoo.com, and mail your check to:

CVC of Allen County. 2456 Lake Avenue. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 with your contact information by August 10th.

4′Cs: Compassion, Connection, Communication and Cooperation in   Building our Community

Please join us for our 8^th Forum entitled “Family and Parenting: Four Cornerstones for the Community.” A panel of professionals from local agencies will address the resources they
offer to families, focusing on Compassion, Connection, Communication and Cooperation as the cornerstones for healthy families and healthy communities. Panelists include Babra Chakanyuka (Family Support Manager, Crime Victim Care), Sara Fuller Assessment Family Case Manager, Department of Child Services), Laurie A. Gray, JD (Owner, Socratic Parenting LLC), Judy King (Read and Rise, Fort Wayne Urban League), Sandy Meyer (Community Education & Outreach Supervisor, SCAN), and Steve Vachon, M.Div., M.A. (Family Care Counselor & Therapist, Coordinator of Intercultural Initiatives of Crime Victim Care).  Come and share your thoughts on ways to empower parents, teachers and other caretakers to SUCCEED during our children’s formative years.  By working together across religion and culture to nurture children and support families within our neighborhoods and school communities, we make the world a safer place for
everyone.  Don’t miss this opportunity to hear experienced leaders provide concrete ways to inspire Compassion, Connection, Communication and Cooperation for our families.  This is a free forum for all people held at the Catherine Kasper Place (CKP) 2826 South Calhoun Street. Fort Wayne IN, 46807 on June 3rd from 11:30-1:30pm.  Please let us know you plan to attend by e-mail at seekcvsrs@yahoo.com. If you need additional information about our services, feel free to contact us at (260) 452-7640.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW?

Welcome to our 7^th forum that will be dealing with a very serious crime threatening our nation today. Is it true that some prosecutors find it easy calling human trafficking a serious pimping for easy prosecution? Come and join other experts in exploring some of the concerns everyone has as relates to human trafficking. Your participation in these fo­rums will positively impact our community’s safety and development? It is clear that people who gather together, identify issues, discuss them, lay strategies on how to address those issues and take a step of faith to implement those strategies are called peacemak­ers. Remember every year, people are tricked or forced into a life no one would choose—Sold into prostitution and the sex trade, Locked up in sweat shops and Made to work for little or no pay. They are victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a serious crime that you need to be aware of. As of today it is estimated that over 200,000 people in the United States are victims of human trafficking. Would you like to learn how to identify a victim of human trafficking and services available for them? Come and join us in listening to experienced attorneys and practitioners in this field take us through a series of scenarios of what is happening in our country and the whole world in dealing with the human trafficking problem. This is a free forum and lunch for all participants. Please let us know you plan to attend by e-mail at seekcvsrs@yahoo.com before attending. Our forum will be held at the Catherine Kasper Place (CKP) 2826 South Calhoun Street. Fort Wayne IN, 46807 on May 6th from 11:30-1:30pm. If you need more information about our services feel free to contact us (260) 452 – 7640. Read this: human_trafficking_in_the_caribbean_june_2009

Victims Deserve Justice