PRAXIS INTERNATIONAL
179 ROBIE ST E SUITE 260, ST PAUL, MN 55107 praxisinternational.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: PREVENTION AND ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE IN THE LIVES OF WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN.

PRAXIS HAS EARNED A NATIONAL REPUTATION FOR INNOVATIVE AND VICTIM-FOCUSED APPROACHES TO WORKING WITH LEGAL AND HUMAN SERVICE INSTITUTIONS TO CREATE DETERRENTS TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. SINCE 1998 PRAXIS HAS IMPLEMENTED COMPREHENSIVE AND TARGETED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECTS FOR THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, OFFICE ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (OVW) FOR THEIR GRANTEES IN VARIOUS GRANT PROGRAMS (RURAL, SUPERVISED VISITATION AND SAFE EXCHANGE, AND GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE ARREST) AS WELL AS COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF PRAXIS' WORK IS TO TEACH SOCIAL CHANGE ADVOCACY WHILE CHANGING SYSTEM'S AND COMMUNITY'S RESPONSES TO SURVIVORS OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE. AS A NATIONAL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER, PRAXIS HAS WORKED WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITIES SEEKING TO RESPOND TO AND END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN RURAL, TRIBAL, SUBURBAN, AND URBAN COMMUNITIES. PRAXIS EMPLOYS A WIDE RANGE OF STRATEGIES TO SHARE INNOVATIONS AND CHANGE CONDITIONS THAT PRODUCE INJUSTICE INCLUDING: TRAINING INSTITUTES, WEBINARS, AND DISTANCE LEARNING FEATURING NATIONAL EXPERTS AND PEER-TO-PEER DIALOGUES; ROUNDTABLES CONVENED TO DELVE DEEP INTO ISSUES AND FOSTER CREATIVE THINKING; COMPREHENSIVE TOOL KITS TO HELP APPLY NEW APPROACHES STEP-BY-STEP; EMERGING ISSUE THINK PIECES; CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS; AND A WEBSITE RICH WITH FREE MATERIALS. FOR OVER TWO DECADES, PRAXIS HAS CONDUCTED DOZENS OF ON-SITE CONSULTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY; TRAINED MORE THAN 12,000 PEOPLE, PROVIDED MORE THAN 500 ADVOCACY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM TRAININGS; CONDUCTED OVER 100 SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY AUDITS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES; AND PRODUCED NUMEROUS TRAINING AND TA RESOURCES INCLUDING ONLINE TRAINING COURSES, PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS, NEEDS ASSESSMENTS, ORGANIZING MANUALS, TRAINING GUIDES, AND COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING TOOLKITS. OUR CURRENT PROJECTS INCLUDE THE ADVOCACY LEARNING CENTER, THE INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS PROGRAM, THE STRENGTHENING RURAL ADVOCACY PROJECT AND THE BLUEPRINT FOR SAFETY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT. THE ADVOCACY LEARNING CENTER IS A COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE, HIGH-QUALITY INDIVIDUAL, INSTITUTIONAL, AND COMMUNITY ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF ALL SURVIVORS OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE. THE ADVOCACY LEARNING CENTER IS A NATIONAL PROJECT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE U.S. OFFICE ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, AND A HOST OF OTHER MINNESOTA-BASED AND NATIONAL ADVOCATES AND TRAINERS. TEAMS OF ADVOCATES AND THEIR AGENCY LEADERS FROM DOZENS OF STATES, TRIBAL NATIONS, AND U.S TERRITORIES COME TOGETHER TO LISTEN, SHARE, LEARN, TEACH, DEBATE AND CELEBRATE TOGETHER THROUGHOUT AN 18- MONTH COURSE. ALC PARTICIPANTS DELVE DEEP INTO CORE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF ADVOCACY IN A FOUR-DAY INITIAL IMMERSION TRAINING; EXAMINE HOW WE CAN RESHAPE INSTITUTIONS TO PROTECT WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN A THREE-DAY SYSTEMS CHANGE INSTITUTE; THEN THINK AND PLAN TOGETHER ON CHANGING CULTURAL CONDITIONS THAT GENERATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AT A TWO- DAY COMMUNITY ADVOCACY TRAINING. THE TEAMS EXPLORE THE TOPICS MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM THROUGH REMOTE LEARNING AND WEBINARS AND EXPAND THEIR GRASP OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE THROUGH SITE VISITS TO MODEL SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY-- ALL TOWARDS STRENGTHENING ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS TO CREATE FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL CHANGE. SINCE 2009, OVER 800 ADVOCATES AND MORE THAN 300 ADVOCACY GROUPS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE ALC. THE INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS (IA) PROGRAM SUPPORTS COMMUNITIES TO ASSESS AND IMPROVE INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO CASES OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE VIA COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS, BEST-PRACTICE ASSESSMENTS AND SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY AUDITS OF THEIR LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CHILD WELFARE OR OTHER INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE TO BATTERING. TO DATE WE HAVE DELIVERED OVER 500 TRAINING HOURS FOR MORE THAN 3000 PEOPLE, AS WELL AS 2000 HOURS OF TAILORED GUIDANCE TO COMMUNITIES ABOUT THEIR INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS PROJECTS. THE IA METHODOLOGY CAN BE USED TO ADDRESS SEXUAL ASSAULT, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, STALKING AND OTHER FORMS OF GENDER VIOLENCE FOR PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITIES WHO ENGAGE IN INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE WORK. PRAXIS OFFERS COMMUNITIES A METHOD OF INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS AND CHANGE ROOTED IN THE FIELD OF SOCIOLOGY CALLED INSTITUTIONAL ETHNOGRAPHY. PRAXIS PROVIDES ON-SITE AND DISTANCE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND CONDUCTS COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT INSTITUTES WHERE PARTICIPANTS GET HANDS-ON PRACTICE DEVELOPING SKILLS IN INTERVIEWING, FOCUS GROUP FACILITATION, AND TEXT ANALYSIS. THE STRENGTHENING RURAL ADVOCACY (SRA) PROJECT BUILDS THE CAPACITY OF NON- PROFIT ADVOCACY PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY TO THE NEEDS OF SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, AND STALKING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING TO OFFICE ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN RURAL GRANTEES, AND OTHERS, TO SUPPORT THEIR COORDINATED COMMUNITY RESPONSES (CCR) TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN; TO STRENGTHEN ADVOCACY LEADERSHIP IN CREATING SYSTEM CHANGE AND INDIVIDUAL ADVOCACY SKILLS; AND CENTRALIZED/COORDINATED RURAL-SPECIFIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE INFORMATION. THE SRA FOCUSES ON SUPPORTING RURAL PROGRAMS SELF-REFLECTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT THAT ENHANCES THEIR CAPACITY TO ENGAGE IN SOCIAL CHANGE ADVOCACY. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING ONGOING TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND ON SITE CONSULTATIONS FOR RURAL GRANTEES, PRAXIS MAINTAINS A RURAL CLEARINGHOUSE AND DISTRIBUTES A NEWSLETTER TO RURAL COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. THROUGH OUR RURAL PROJECT TO DATE WE HAVE TRAINED MORE THAN 12,000 INDIVIDUALS IN RURAL AREAS THROUGH NATIONAL CONFERENCES, TRAINING INSTITUTES, ROUNDTABLES, AND WEBINARS. IN 2010, THE BLUEPRINT FOR SAFETY MODEL BECAME THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE INTERAGENCY FRAMEWORK IN THE NATION FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. ITS DESIGN DREW ON HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF ANALYSIS, INTERVIEWS, AND DISCUSSIONS ACROSS THE SYSTEM, MULTIPLE SURVIVOR ADVOCACY PROGRAMS, AND DOZENS OF DIVERSE COMMUNITY-BASED FOCUS GROUPS. THE OFFICE ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN SUBSEQUENTLY FUNDED PRAXIS TO SERVE AS THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER BLUEPRINT COMMUNITIES SELECTED BY OVW AROUND THE COUNTRY. OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS, WE HAVE PROVIDED MORE THAN 6500 HOURS OF TRAINING AND TAILORED GUIDANCE TO COMMUNITIES IMPLEMENTING BLUEPRINT AND/OR CONSIDERING ADOPTING THE MODEL. A CENTRAL FOCUS OF OUR CURRENT WORK IS TO IMPLEMENT A CORE PRINCIPLE OF THE BLUEPRINT: "ACT IN WAYS THAT REDUCE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AND THE DISPARITY OF IMPACT ON VICTIMS AND OFFENDERS." THE BLUEPRINT MODEL COMMITS TO REDUCING HARMFUL CONSEQUENCES OF INTERVENTION AND DISPARITY OF IMPACT, REFLECTING THE INTENTIONS OF COMMUNITIES THAT SEEK AN EFFECTIVE, FAIR, AND JUST RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CRIMES. THE BLUEPRINT FOR SAFETY MODEL ASSERTS THAT THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM SHOULD WORK IN AS PROTECTIVE AND LEAST HARMFUL WAY AS POSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO SEEK IT OUT AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE DRAWN IN. TO DO THAT, COMMUNITIES, AND ESPECIALLY THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM ITSELF, MUST DEEPLY EXPLORE AND UNDERSTAND HOW BIAS AND OPPRESSION LEADS TO DISPARITY IN SYSTEM INTERVENTIONS AND CHANGE THOSE CONDITIONS IF WE ARE TO HAVE ANY HOPE OF GAINING COMMUNITY TRUST.

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