Community Education and Awareness

Program Description

An effective way to impact public health is through education and awareness. PVP consistently provides information and resources to the general public and to our partners to broadly reach individuals, impart knowledge, a sense safety for victims, and empowerment to break the cycle of violence.

Some examples of programs:

West 7th Family Center
This program offers drop-in play time for parents and caregivers that increase socialization opportunities for both caregivers and children. The West 7th Family Center, which is located in Linwood - Monroe A+ Community School (810 Palace Avenue, St. Paul, MN), is host to over approximately 3000 parents, caregivers and preschoolers each year who participate in both structured and unstructured activities.

There is no charge for using this indoor, bright and beautiful playroom and outdoor preschool playground. The Family Center is available Monday through Friday 9am to Noon. For more information, call 651-241-5864.

The impact of this service is evident in parent/caregiver comments:

• "The children love the music and art classes.   I love the fact that they interact with other children and learn social skills.  I’ve been enjoying the Family Center for years and my four day care children have grown up emotionally well."
• "I enjoy talking with other parents, it is good for me to get socialization too and to learn parenting tips from others. It is a treasure in our neighborhood."
• "The Family Center is safe and fun, I really enjoy it!"
• "It is such a pleasure to know that this playroom is staffed with individuals who are knowledgeable in child development and can help parents with referrals and social issues."

Paws 4 Peace: animal-assisted therapy for children in domestic violence shelters.
Paws 4 Peace is an innovative art facilitated program for children in domestic violence shelters. Paws 4 Peace works with those who have witnessed and/or experienced abuse and is a critical program to teach empathy skills to young children, a key step of breaking the cycle of violence.

Some feedback from program participants:

• “My experiences with the Pet Therapy program at Eagle’s Nest was when I was upset and felt alone. I was really feeling bad and a staff member told me to go downstairs and have some fun. I went to group and the dogs were wonderful and helped me more than I know and other teens like me need this program because it helps a lot when dealing with issues. Especially when living in a shelter it made me feel like I had a friend.” —Joanna 16 yrs old
• “This year has been an amazing time with the [Paws 4 Peace] program. The children we serve have witnessed or been a part of domestic violence. Many of these children have a hard time trusting anyone, but we have seen a change since the program started. When the group starts the magic begins, and the walls that have been built but the children begin to crumble.” —Brianna Carlson
• “Having therapy dogs visit shelters is a very unique program. It is literally on the cutting edge. The West 7th Family Center is responsible for bringing this type of program to the shelter, a program that is all about reaching the deepest part of a person. I am proud to be a volunteer and apart of this amazing group of people who aren’t afraid to reach out with bold new ideas. People who care enough to break out of the mold and learn new ways to reach children who are crying out for help, sometimes so quietly you cannot even hear them in a silent room. These kids have been touched because of the work of PVP.” —Karen Britton, Delta Society/ Helping Paws Volunteer