Domestic Violence Action Month (DVAM)

News & Events, Other,

October is a time to reflect on the seriousness of intimate partner abuse and break the silence about violence. Check out October events below and get ideas for taking action.

Walla Walla County Commissioners proclaim October is DVAM:
Monday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m., 314 W. Main St.
Image asks what steps can be taken to prevent domestic violence? Oct 23-31 is the YWCA Week Without Violence. Saturday, Oct. 26 join us at Dayton's Flour Mill Park for a Community Prevention and Wellness Fair. Pick up your DV Awareness ribbon and learn more about services available in Columbia County

< Saturday, Oct. 26, 11am-1pm:
Join YWCA Columbia County at Dayton’s Flour Mill Park for the Community Prevention and Wellness Fair

Candlelight tribute 6:30pm at the YWCA

  • Wednesday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m. at YWCA Walla Walla

Light refreshments, reflections, and a candlelit stroll around the shelter block

Group of people walking with candles around the block of the YWCA shelter.

Walkers at 2023 gathering

Meet at noon, Heritage Park: Take Steps to Stop Domestic Violence

Thursday, Oct. 24, Noon: Meet at Heritage Park downtown and Take Steps to Stop Domestic Violence.

Passerby stops to add flowers to a domestic violence memorial, a brief narrative with two shoes on top to represent a life lost.
On Thursday, Oct. 24, we’ll remember lives lost in 2023 in Washington State.

Each year we remember the women, men, and children whose lives were lost to domestic violence in the previous year during the YWCA Week Without Violence. Meet us at Heritage Park at noon, and we’ll walk to the County Court House remembering these losses along the way.

Get in the spirit by wearing purple, the color of domestic violence awareness. Or make a sign to carry with an anti-DV message (the links here might give you inspiration).

A group, most wearing purple and some holding signs, stand in front of the courthouse listening to inspiring words about stopping domestic violence.

Join a discussion group

DV IN BOOKS AND MOVIES


Social media is teeming with talk about domestic violence, thanks to the recent movie based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel It Ends With Us.

YWCA staff members are wondering if there is community interest in a YWCA-hosted discussion of the book or film. If you are interested, please let us know by October 19 so we can include you in our plans. We can have Advocates on hand to address myths and facts about intimate partner violence and join us to discuss Hoover’s and the film’s depiction.

Sign up for a group by Wednesday, Oct. 19

If you’d prefer a nonfiction exploration of the topic, journalist Rachel Louise Snyder’s No Visible Bruises is the YWCA Board fall book club pick.

Self-care Saturday

Saturday, Oct.26

Download the Tiny Survival Guide from the Trauma Stewardship Institute for some self-care ideas to get you started.

Are stress and trauma causing or depleting your mental energy? The Trauma Stewardship Institute has a tip sheet for decision fatigue and cognitive overload.

Download Coloring Pages from the National Network to end Domestic Violence (like Dogs Against Domestic Violence or Sloths for Safety) and enjoy the mental health benefits of coloring, which can be a lot like meditation. Post your masterpiece on Instagram to share a positive message with your followers.