We launched a monthly webinar series for partners and providers. Topics were developed based on provider interest and feedback and included anti-racism in the anti-sexual violence movement, restorative justice, and prevention and intervention programming for individuals with disabilities. MECASA partnered with Pine Tree Legal Assistance to launch the expansion of civil legal services for victims of sexual violence. We are excited to further this initiative in the coming months. MECASA was proud to be awarded a $500,000 Office on Violence Against Women Rural Grant for FY2017, which will increase sexual assault support staffing in Maine’s rural areas and provide those communities with significant local support regarding sexual violence response. MECASA Communications Throughout FY2016, MECASA staff continued to change the public perception of sexual violence through many platforms and audiences, including traditional media, social media, and supporting Maine’s sexual assault service providers in their local public awareness efforts. We launched a statewide awareness campaign that was truly a community effort. Through interviews with providers across the state, we documented quotes about advocacy and their work in Maine and coupled them with Maine-based images we received from people who support our work. The results were a social media campaign (which included images branded for each of Maine’s sexual assault support centers) and two PSAs which showcased the work, faces, and words of Maine’s sexual assault service providers to help survivors learn about resources available to them. The role of an advocate is like a seeing eye dog. It’s not our job to determine where the survivor is going or where the survivor wants to go. It’s our job to help them know if there are obstacles in the way that we can work around to help them get there safely, and we do that at their direction. 7 MECASA FY2016 Annual Report We also fully updated MECASA’s branding and online presence, including our website, logo, and print and digital materials. The website update included new content for survivors about services, and made many of MECASA’s publications available to the general public.
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