Rural Sexual Assault Response Teams
Rural Sexual Assault Response Teams
The Sexual Violence Justice Institute (SVJI) is a national program operating within the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA). SVJI creates long-term sustainable systems responses to sexual violence that meet the specific needs of each community. Since 2013, we have provided those awarded with OVW rural grants the support and assistance they need to improve their multi-disciplinary collaborations. We develop resources, tools, and provide one-on-one assistance that honors the strength and creativity of rural communities while also addressing the challenges that come with living in rural places.
OVW Rural grant recipients and other rural communities have access to attending SVJI events, offering in-person trainings, accessing webinars and resources, receiving one-on-one assistance, and get in-depth support to build up their response.
Through our years of experience and your expertise in your community, we will work together to craft the information and resources you need to support and sustain collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams like a Sexual Assault Response Team in your community. We look forward to being a resource as well as connecting you to other national technical assistance providers. Connect with us through the form below or you can call or email our team. Let’s do great work, together.
National Institute
The National Institute is a biannual conference designed for coordinators, team leaders, and state and territorial level leaders who coordinate or support local teams responding to sexual violence.
The Institute’s primary goal is to build the capacity of team leaders to design and facilitate effective team processes. Effective team leadership is essential to a team’s overall development, and we know that it is complex, challenging, and rewarding work. Creating social change and systems improvement requires more than knowledge of best practices—it also requires the ability to initiate processes that transform our communities and lead to improved outcomes. The Institute will help you facilitate multidisciplinary teams as they design, implement, and evaluate their community’s response to sexual violence.
Connection Calls
Our Connection Calls are monthly virtual discussions focused on addressing the current needs of sexual assault response teams (SARTs) and connecting SART leaders and coordinators nationally. Connection Calls are hosted in collaboration with the National SART TTA project.
Past topics of Connection Calls include:
- SARTs and Rural SANE Programs
- Planning for Sexual Assault Awareness Month
- Meeting Facilitation
- Onboarding New Team Members
Join us for our next call!
Rural Realities Blog Posts
Rejuvenating Sexual Assault Response Teams
By Miranda Gonzalez Happy Wednesday everyone! This blog will be talking about rejuvenating tired sexual assault response teams (SARTs). Sometimes, coordinators may experience challenges in…
SVJI Resource Highlight: Best Practices for Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) Supporting LGBTQIA+ Victims/Survivors
By Fatima Jayoma Welcome to the Rural Realities Blog! In today’s blog, we will be highlighting two new resources, Best Practices for SARTs Supporting…
SVJI Resource Highlight: New and Updated Case File Review Materials
By Miranda Gonzalez Hello everyone! Welcome to the Rural Realities blog! In this blog, we will be highlighting one of our recently revised workbooks,…
Featured Tools & Resources
Sexual Assault Response Team Starter Kit: A Guide for New SART Teams
Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) play a powerful role in improving the collective response to sexual violence through increasing access to healing and justice. SART…
A Ten-Factor Framework for Sexual Assault Response Team Effectiveness
Systems-change sexual assault response teams (SARTs) are community-based multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) that work to create long-term improvements to local systems of response to sexual violence.
Sexual Assault Response Teams & Systems Change
What is a SART? A Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is one strategy a community can use to improve their systems response to sexual violence.
Member-Hosted Event: 40-Hour Sexual Assault Volunteer Advocacy Training (PAVSA)
The opportunity to respond as a sexual assault volunteer advocate to the Duluth hospitals is here! Completing this 40-hour training and having reliable transportation is…
Member-Hosted Event: 40-Hour Advocacy Training (SOS Sexual Violence Services)
This training will be run as a hybrid training, including pre-recorded sessions to be completed individually and live training sessions. Pre-recorded content will include recorded…
Contact us for more information about rural trainings and support.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2015-TA-AX-K014 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.