Ballston Area Community Allies
Community Allies is a collaborative partnership of business, school, government, and not-for-profit organizations and residents of the Ballston Spa area, formed to create awareness and prevention strategies to end abuse and violence in the Ballston Spa community. Our mandate is to become a resource to everyone in the Ballston area by understanding the community’s concerns with abuse (including bullying, dating violence, and sexual harassment) and providing targeted programs to address those concerns. The Ballston area is the FIRST community in Saratoga County to take on this initiative! (Visit their facebook page by clicking on the logo at the left.)
Support and Educational Groups
Project Hope and Power: Offered in collaboration with Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, Hope and Power is an innovative financial literacy program aimed at teaching women the skills they need to become financially secure and independent. Hope and Power is designed to help you aquire the following skills: safety planning, financial management, establishing credit, increasing personal financial assets, accessing affordable housing options, upgrading skills to advance professionally, setting and achieving goals for increased independence. Hope and Power is offered 3 times per year. Please call for more information and to register. Child care is provided.
Educational Programs
Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County offers a wide range of prevention and education programs at no cost to schools and community organizations in our county. Our goal is to help young people use the information we give them to enhance their critical thinking skills in order to increase their personal safety.
We offer workshops on many topics including:
- Bullying
- Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships
- Intimate Partner Violence/Dating Violence
- Sexual Assault/Date Rape
- Sexual Harassment
- Communications Skills/Consent
- Assertiveness
- Body Image
- Gender Roles
- Internet Dangers
Programs are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the classroom, community organization, age level, and target audience. All of our presentations embrace 3 core components: Building participants’ self-esteem, promoting positive character development, and encouraging personal safety. Programs are designed to be interractive and discussion based. Program length is flexible, ranging from 1 class period to 8 sessions.
We also conduct professional training sessions for businesses who would like to learn more about domestic violence, sexual harassment and assault, and DVRC services.
Prevention and Education Programs
When Is It Rape?
Objective: Students learn about sexual assault, the relationship between alcohol and date rape, and how to reduce their risk of becoming a victim. They also learn what to do if they or someone they know is assaulted.
Target Audience: High School
Love Shouldn’t Hurt
Objective: Students learn about the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, dynamics of power and control in teenage relationships and how to identify the early warning signs of an abusive relationship. They also explore options for helping themselves or a friend in a relationship with dating violence.
Target Audience: Middle School, High School
Out of Bounds
Objective: Students learn to identify sexual harassment in its various forms as well as options for dealing with it. They also learn the difference between flirting and sexual harassment.
Target Audience: Middle School, High School
Legally Speaking: Sexual Assault in New York
Ojective: Participants learn how New York legally defines rape as well as the dynamics of date/aquaintance rape, Sexual Assault Forensic Exam, and the criminal investigation/court process.
Target Audience: Forensics and Law Classes
The Lunch Bunch
Objective: Single-sex groups discuss bullying, peer pressure, body image, healthy relationships, and other age-appropriate topics over lunch. This group is usually done in four sessions over a two-week period.
Target Audience: Third, Fourth and Fifth grades
Stop Picking On Me!
Objective: Students learn to identify the range of bullying behaviors in others as well as themselves. They also explore strategies for staying safe and/or changing their behaviors.
Target Audience: Elementary School
Tailored Topics
Small groups cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to these topics, as well as other relevant issues. Focus is on developing new skills and new ways of thinking in these areas. Groups are designed to meet the needs of the group members and can last up to eight sessions. Call the prevention educator to disucss.
To request a program in your classroom or agency, or for additional information, please contact the Prevention Educator at 583-0280.