Building organizations’ capacity to support survivors’ needs is a significant part of the overall survivor experience. Many traditional survivor inclusion efforts suggest meaningful engagement is about inviting survivors into decision-making spaces that have not previously been available. However, without recognizing factors such as power dynamics and past trauma as potential barriers to survivor participation/engagement, and how organizations may recreate or force survivors to relive these dynamics and traumas, efforts can fall short of the desired impact.

Organizations need effective tools and strategies that do more than open the door for survivor engagement. They must encourage productive collaboration that centers survivor expertise by considering if the spaces themselves are comfortable, competent, and safe in how they invite, welcome, and continue to support colleagues with lived experience.

This presentation will look at how we work in collaboration with people with lived experience and offer best practices for capacity building within organizations to best support and engage with survivors they welcome into advocacy and organizing spaces.
• What does meaningful engagement mean?
• How do I support survivors interested becoming involved in advocacy/organizing?
• How do I center the voices and experiences of survivors in my work/org?
• What steps can I take to ensure an equitable approach to community engagement?

Presenter: Chance LeBeau is the Housing Program Specialist at Violence Free Colorado