DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS IMPACT

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS IMPACT
Understanding the Basics
Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Time: 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Cost: $5
Presenters:
Elissa May Franklin, SOAR (Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships) coordinator 
Kathy McCormick, SOAR member - Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence
This training provides an overview of the dynamics of domestic violence, the impact on survivors and children who witness abuse and steps each of us can take to better support survivors and prevent domestic violence by examining the personal experience of a domestic violence survivor - one of the trainers. Through the examination of Kathy's story and real life examples, participants will have a unique and "inside" view of the most commonly experienced forms of domestic violence. Participants will gain a better understanding of the dynamics that take place in abusive relationships and how these dynamics impact the lives of survivors.

ABOUT  THE PRESENTERS:

Elissa May Franklin is the SOAR (Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships) coordinator at the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV). Prior to joining the team at the RICADV, Elissa coordinated volunteers, including a survivor speakers’ bureau, and provided counseling and advocacy to survivors of sexual violence in Massachusetts. She is passionate about empowerment and equity for survivors of violence, and hopes to create just and positive changes to Rhode Island communities. Elissa served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Charlottesville, Virginia, at a youth mentoring agency after graduating from Lesley University, and earned a master’s degree in macro social work from Boston University.

Kathy McCormick is the mother of three boys, a grandmother, a survivor of domestic violence and has been a SOAR member since 2012. She is the assistant vice president of accounting at a large public corporation. She serves on the board of the Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County, and shares her experiences to advocate for economic justice, including an increased minimum wage and paid sick and safe time for survivors, to educate a wide range of audiences including law students, health care workers and military personnel about the dynamics of abuse, and in the award-winning play, “Behind Closed Doors,” based on real stories about domestic violence.