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Victim Impact Event
Sonya Arrington, founder of Mothers Against Teen Violence (MATV) spoke to the audience about the everlasting impact of violence. She shared a personal story and read a powerful self-written poem that hit home with many of the girls. Click on Sonya's picture above or go to www.matverie.com to visit the Mothers Against Teen Violence website.
The Crime Victim Center held a victim impact event @ Gannondale on December 12, 2011. The event was coordinated by CVC's Lynn Putt and included a display with dozens of t-shirts that the girls had made during their Victim Impact class. Each shirt was uniquely designed by an individual resident to reflect her understanding of and personal experience with violence.
The Victim Impact class, conducted by CVC's Amy Blackman, taught the girls that there is no such thing as a "victim-less crime." The girls heard stories of crime victims and how their lives were affected, which allowed them to empathize with those victims and relate the stories to experiences in their own lives. They learned that crime victims experience more than just a physical impact; victims also experience psychological, emotional, and financial impacts as well. Feelings of fear, depression, hopelessness, vulnerability, loneliness, confusion and isolation are some of the common emotions identified by the girls as being felt by crime victims. Anonymous surveys completed by the girls noted that over 80% of those who participated in the class found themselves discussing the topics outside of class with friends, family, counselors and teachers.