| Twenty Tips for Community Awareness and
Public Education
1. Community leaders — including leadership from the county
board of supervisors and mayors' office; local legislators; city
and
county law enforcement; prosecution; judiciary; and community and
institutional corrections — can be provided with a nicely-designed
form (via e-mail, fax, or mail) that states, "What I Can
Do to 'Fulfill the Promise' to Victims of Crime." Their
responses can be collected and utilized in speeches and public
presentations,
and/or displayed at public awareness events during NCVRW and throughout
the year.
2. Victim assistance programs can distribute a nicely-designed
form to victims and survivors whom they have served that states: "Victims'
Rights: Fulfill the Promise": One Thing People in (Community)
Can Do Fulfill the Promise of Support and Services to Victims of
Crime." These powerful "voices of victims" — either
anonymous or signed — can be utilized in speeches and public
presentations, and/or displayed at public awareness events on brightly
colored
paper during NCVRW and throughout the year.
3. Victim assistance programs can engage schools (grades 3-12)
in an essay/definition contest that asks: "What Does a Promise Mean
to Me?" Programs can seek donated prizes from local businesses
and retail stores. The students' responses can be displayed during
NCVRW, and incorporated into speeches and other public presentations
to emphasize the importance of the word "promise" to
our youth.
4. "Fulfilling the promise to victims" can be incorporated
into a staff activity that asks each staff member to write down
one "promise" he or she can fulfill in the future to
better serve victims of crime, and place it in a nicely decorated
box. The cumulative "promises" can be typed up in a large
font and included on a staff bulletin board display during NCVRW
and throughout the year.
5. States or counties can convene a roundtable session of victims/survivors,
victim service providers, criminal and juvenile justice and allied
professionals, and volunteers to examine existing victims' rights
in their state, and develop recommendations to "fulfill the
promise" of victims' rights through the introduction of new
laws and agency policies, or revision of existing laws and agency
policies. The group's findings can be published in agency newsletters,
or incorporated into an NCVRW collaborative press release or opinion/editorial
column.
6. States can utilize the information and format of the enclosed "Crime
Victims' Rights in America: A Historical Overview" to develop
their own state-specific victims' rights history, which highlights
key accomplishments that "fulfill the promise" to crime
victims.
7. The Violence Intervention Program (VIP) of Oneonta, New York
plans to sponsor a "Tails on Trails" 3K walk for dogs
and their owners in a local state park. The proceeds raised from
participant registration fees will go toward finding shelters for
the pets of domestic violence and sexual assault victims when they
leave their homes and go to the VIP shelter. VIP says the goals
of this effort are to reach a key sector of the community — pet
owners and their families — and to raise awareness that victims
don't have to leave their pets behind when they seek shelter from
abuse.
8. In Lewiston-Clarkston, Idaho, a highly successful billboard
was erected that included a photograph of representatives of all law
enforcement agencies in the area. The text says: "If you abuse,
you will answer to us." This project promoted collaboration
with law enforcement agencies, and sent a strong public message
about the consequences of criminal activity.
9. The Vermont Center for Victim Services held a statewide remembrance
ceremony for crime victims, and planted a memorial sugar maple
(the state tree) in honor of all crime victims on the green in
St. Albans, Vermont. Participants in the ceremony — including many
victims and survivors — also received individual saplings to take
home and plant for their own remembrance. The maple tree was donated
by a local nursery, and saplings were ordered at inexpensive rates
through the agriculture conservation district. Support for and
remembrance of victims of crime will continue to "grow" in
Vermont as a result of this special project.
10. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services sponsors
an innovative coloring contest for its employees' children, with
the contest resource package mailed directly to employees' homes.
Prizes for winning submissions are donated by local retail and
department stores. This project helps educate correctional employees
about NCVRW and the Department's victim assistance program, and
sends a message that victim services are available to them, should
they ever be needed. This creative idea can be adapted for law
enforcement and other justice agencies.
11. In Ohio, a "moment of silence" is observed throughout
the entire prison system and parole offices in remembrance of crime
victims. This simple, inexpensive yet powerful effort can be expanded
to include all state agencies and/or county and local level
agencies.
12. Members of the Survivors of Crime Council in Vermont wrote
a description of their experiences as victims of crime, including
their experiences with the criminal and juvenile justice systems
— some anonymous, and some signed by the authors. These were
printed on different brightly covered pieces of paper, and placed
on the
seats of legislators when they attended the opening day of the
legislative session. Vermont stresses the simplicity, cost-effectiveness
and high impact of this project, and suggests that a note be attached
to each "victim vignette" stating: "Help us 'fulfill
the promise' to crime victims during 2003 NCVRW and throughout
the year."
13. In Cuyahoga County, Ohio, a "Women Watch Vigil" in
downtown's Public Square includes family members of homicide victims,
victims of sexual assault and family violence, and community leaders
speaking out on behalf of victims of crime. "Silent witness" statues
are held by participants and, at the end of the vigil, the crowd
begins a silent walk through several blocks of downtown Cleveland.
The participants enter the Justice Center and place the Silent
Witnesses in the main atrium of the building around several display
tables with information about state and local resources for victims.
The day is closed with a reflection and lighting of a candle; the
display remains in the atrium for two weeks.
14. A contest for program staff and volunteers can be sponsored
to develop the most creative and visually powerful desk decorations
and design that incorporate the "Victims' Rights: Fulfill
the Promise" theme of 2003 NCVRW. Provide a box of supplies
(that can be purchased at reasonable prices at most floral/craft
and "dollar stores"). Then seek permission to transfer
the winning desk designs/decorations to desks or counters athighly
visible locations, such as law enforcement agencies or the reception
areas of courts, probation agencies, or jails and prisons, during
2003 NCVRW.
15. Utilize the sample "Certificate of Appreciation" included
in this Resource Guide to honor volunteers during NCVRW at a volunteer
luncheon or banquet (April is also National Volunteer Recognition
Month) . Send a press release that highlights what each volunteer
has done to "fulfill the promise" to victims of crime
in your community.
16. Think of creative ways to involve juvenile offenders in community
service initiatives to support 2003 NCVRW. For example, in Denver
in 1999, juvenile offenders completed community service hours to
put up NCVRW public awareness posters across the city and, at the
same time, fulfilled their accountability agreements and learned
the importance of publicizing the rights and needs of crime victims.
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, youthful offenders prepared beautiful "dream
catchers" that were given to homicide family survivors at
the annual candlelight vigil, in keeping with the 1999 theme "Dare
to Dream"; this creative approach can be utilized with this
year's theme, "Victims' Rights: Fulfill the Promise," as
well.
17. Engage community service projects that publicize NCVRW by
arranging for juvenile and adult offenders with community service
obligations to cut 8-inch swatches of blue (PMS 2757) and
orange (PMS 138) ribbons. Make copies of the "ribbon
card" included in the camera-ready artwork in this Resource
Guide, so the double ribbons can be pinned to the card (using two-inch
stickpins that can be purchased at most floral/crafts stores).
Then, widely distribute the ribbons prior to and during NCVRW,
engaging local businesses and public venues to hang the theme poster
(also mailed in conjunction with this Guide) and place a basket
of ribbon cards in a prominent display area.
18. Create a visual display of the 2003 NCVRW theme posters and
three victim issue-specific posters, and include brochures, fact
sheets, statistical overviews (19 are included in this Guide) for
distribution to crime victims and concerned citizens.
19. Encourage allied justice professionals to create their own
NCVRW "mini-Resource Guides" that are specific to their
staff, utilizing the materials included in this Resource Guide.
For example, the Directors of the Louisiana Department of Public
Safety and Corrections and the California Youth Authority send
out selected resource materials — including the theme posters,
statistical overviews, media materials, and toll-free telephone
numbers for information and referrals — to agency work sites,
with a cover memorandum that includes suggestions on how to utilize
them for
NCVRW commemorative activities, as well as suggestions for how
to utilize these resources throughout the year.
20. Create resource packages utilizing the camera-ready
artwork included in this Guide — such
as buttons, bookmarks, theme ribbon cards, statistical overviews,
toll-free
victim assistance
telephone numbers, web site roster, and theme posters — for distribution
to all criminal and juvenile justice, victim assistance,
and allied professional and volunteer agencies three weeks prior
to NCVRW. Include a "calendar of events" that will be
sponsored to commemorate 2003 NCVRW, and ask these agencies to
join you as co-sponsors and/or participants, and to make copies
of NCVRW resources for distribution to their staff and clients.
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| National Crime Victims' Rights
Week: Fulfill the Promise |
April 6-12, 2003 |
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