Oakland, CA - A daylong workshop on “Advocacy Leadership Training: Ending Violence Against Women” was held at Mills College on Friday, March 31, 2006.

Co-sponsored by Mills and Vital Voices Global Partnership, the training was designed to equip participants with communications and advocacy skills to further their work on ending violence against women. The event followed up on a conference entitled “Ending Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking in the 21st Century” held in San Francisco on February 13, 2006.

According to Daphne Muse, Director, Mills Women’s Leadership Institute, “There was a consensus among participants and presenters that domestic violence occurs across all class, racial, ethnic, and gender lines.” She added that “domestic violence, like hazing, is a rite of passage in many cultures, and must be addressed.”

The solution-focused training workshops included:

• Targeting Issues and Setting Benchmarks led by Michael Cooper, principal, Paragon Strategies;
• Communicating and Marketing Your Ideas, Marcia Smolens, president, HMS Associates;
• Identifying Stakeholders and Building Alliances, Beverly Upton, executive director, San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium & Partners.

Following the workshops, attendees participated in groups on domestic violence and human trafficking to devise strategies that would raise public awareness, engage law enforcement and policy-makers, change societal attitudes, and promote better collaboration among all.

The group on domestic violence was facilitated by Rebecca Levenson, senior policy analyst, Family Violence Prevention Fund, and Beverly Upton, executive director, San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium & Partners. The group on human trafficking was led by The Honorable Kamala D. Harris, District Attorney, City and County of San Francisco, and Wenchi Yu Perkins, director, anti-trafficking and human rights, Vital Voices Global Partnerships, and representative from the District Attorney’s Office.

Dixie Horning, executive director of the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health (University of California at San Francisco), led the final session outlining ways to follow up on the day’s training.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently ranked among the top 75 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills is also recognized as one of the country’s 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. The Princeton Review selected Mills as one of 11 colleges for first-time inclusion in its Best 361 Colleges in 2005. Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

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