TIPS FOR PRESENTERS

TIPS FOR PRESENTERS OF LABMF WORKSHOP DVD  

  • Prior to your presentation, view Parts 1 & 2 of the DVD to familiarize yourself with its contents and educate yourself about the topic of teen dating violence. It is also advisable to review the handouts for both parts and the various pages of our website, www.labmf.org, to familiarize yourself with their content and learn more about our organization and the topic. If you have any questions, you may contact us via email:   annburke@labmf.org.
  • Know if your state has a dating violence education law, such as the Lindsay Ann Burke Act or a law based on Lindsay’s law.       If your state does have such a law, obtain a copy of it to distribute to participants and review together. States that presently have such a law are RI, NE, FL, OH, NJ, LA, IL, IN, CT, DE, MA, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, AZ, CO, GA, MD, CA.  These laws all vary in what they require or recommend.       Some states have passed Resolutions as well. Keep in mind that these laws are continually being pursued across the country, and so you need to stay current with the law in your state, so as to accurately inform your school staff.
  • If your state requires that schools have a dating violence policy, obtain a copy of your school district’s teen dating violence policy and make a copy for each participant. Distribute & review at your training.
  • Prior to the training, research the domestic violence community resource agency that services your area. Call them and ask what services they provide for victims, especially teen victims, and if they provide education in the schools. Provide their contact information and all other information gathered to participants at your presentation.
  • Copy participants’ handouts (or email files to them) for Part 1 (& Part 2 if training health teachers or other teachers who will be teaching this subject to students) beforehand and distribute at training. (Handouts on webpage, see brochure inside DVD case for webpage info) Be sure to show the DVD in its entirety, including the introduction and interviews, especially the interviews of the school administrators. They offer a unique perspective.
  • Tell participants to refer to their handouts and be sure to read them in their entirety as they contain additional examples and information about some of the subtopics. This can be done either during or after the presentation.
  • Pause DVD at key points to allow for Q & A, such as after the sections on Warning Signs, Cycle of Abuse, Effects on Victims, and Responding to a Victim
  • Allow extra time for Q & A and discussion during presentation.
  • If time is a concern, have participants write their questions down on paper & hold Q & A and discussion at the end of presentation.
  • Let school staff know, especially administrators, guidance, and mental health professionals, that they should read through the “Rhode Island Guide to Bullying, Dating Violence, and Sexual Violence” on the website www.ride.ri.gov. The “toolkit” or guidance section includes sample safety plans, stay away agreements, and more, as well as guidance in the form of charts for recommended disciplinary actions for incidents of dating violence at school.
  • Be sensitive to the needs of your audience.       Be careful how you phrase your comments and responses.   ****Be sure all info you present is accurate and fact-based……not opinions! Dating violence can be a life-endangering problem, and therefore providing accurate, factual info to school staff and students is critical.
  • Be prepared for disclosures from participants about themselves, someone they know, or a student. Refer adults to your local domestic violence agency.       Advise participants to always refer student incidents to proper school authorities.
  • Health teachers, or any teachers who will be teaching the topic of dating violence to students, should attend a presentation on both Parts 1 and 2. General school staff and administrators need only attend Part 1 of the training.
  • Discuss what is being done at your school in regards to classroom education, awareness efforts, etc.

Before presenting Part 2:

  • Know if health education is required in your schools and what the mandates are.
  • Know if your state has a mandated teen dating violence curriculum that must be used in class or if teachers are free to choose their own curriculum materials.
  • Let teachers know that if they are mandated or choose to teach this topic in class, articulation meetings across the grades should be held so that a consistent, comprehensive curriculum can be developed. Each teacher teaching this topic should know which subtopics are required to be taught at each grade level and which curriculum materials will be used at each grade level.
  • Refer teachers to the handouts for additional suggestions for videos, movies, activities, ideas for adaptation to individual school systems as well as teaching across the curriculum

PLEASE NOTE: The password-protected webpage for this DVD, including handouts  will be updated periodically. Always check the handouts for Part 1 & 2 prior to each training you present, to be sure you are using the updated handouts, especially the updated website lists. We update our list of websites approximately every 6-12 months. We also update the password-protected webpage periodically as well, adding resources that you might find helpful.  You may want to download items from the password-protected webpage.

**DISCLAIMER: The Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund accepts no liability for negligence or otherwise, or for any loss or damage that may arise in any way from use of this resource or any material contained in it, or any of our resources. To the best of our knowledge, all information contained in our resources are factual. We accept no liability for the misuse of our materials, including any inaccurate information provided by someone using our materials.

 

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