As a part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we will be providing you with opportunities every week to get engaged in the fight against sexual and domestic violence through our partners’ recent initiatives.
This week, WeWillSpeakOut.US coalition member, Sojourners, is calling YOU to put your faith into action this fall with their Back2School Challenge. The initiative relies on your voice to engage theological schools to ensure that future clergy receive training on addressing sexual and domestic violence.
According the Broken Silence survey, cosponsored by Sojourners and IMA World Health, a large majority of faith leaders feel unprepared and ill-equipped to respond to sexual and domestic violence in their communities. Fortunately, over 80% of clergy said that they would take appropriate action if they had the training and resources to do so – revealing a great opportunity to turn this uncertain and unprepared group into powerful advocates for prevention, intervention, and healing.
Sojourner’s Back2School Challenge is tapping into this research, calling on faith communities and individuals to write letters to presidents of theological schools encouraging them to integrate holistic training on sexual and domestic violence into their curricula. Also included in the Back2School Challenge Toolkit are sample Facebook and Twitter messages to help get the word out, as well as 20 key resources and readings.
Take action this October, and help us ensure faith leaders across the country are trained in dealing with an issue that affects one in three women and one in four men worldwide.
Check out Sojourner’s Back2School Challenge at sojo.net/back2school and get ready to SPEAK OUT!