District partners with Whitman College for Community Violence Prevention Conference

District partners with Whitman College for Community Violence Prevention Conference
Whitman College hosts the 2011 Community Violence Prevention Conference, March 29 and 30, including a lecture by Dorothy Edwards of Green Dot. etc. and educational workshops. All events are free and open to the public.

Edwards will be meeting with staff from Pioneer and Garrison Middle Schools and Walla Walla and Lincoln High Schools Wednesday, March 30 to introduce the program to the district. Communications Director Mark Higgins and Risk Management Specialist Mark Thompson will be presenting during a work session on the district's Safe and Civil schools program and the district's efforts to curb bullying.

Superintendent Mick Miller will be participating throughout the events and will be having lunch with Whitman College leaders to conclude the conference.

Green Dot, etc. is an organization built on the premise that we can measurably and systematically reduce violence within any given community. For more, visit: http://www.livethegreendot.com/

The goals of the conference are: "To bring together members of the Walla Walla Valley target audience to understand the scope of violence in our region, to share our local expertise more broadly and enable cross-training, to network and form connections across agencies and institutions and to initiate an ongoing valley-wide effort to reduce violence in our communities," according to the Walla Walla Violence Prevention Web site.

Community Violence Prevention Conference events include:
Tuesday, March 29 - Dorothy Edwards, Green Dot, etc.
Dorothy Edwards, executive director of Green Dot, etc., presents a lecture titled "What Works? Effective Ways to Reduce Violence in Our Community." Edwards will address how individuals in the Walla Walla community can become active agents for change by understanding why violence occurs and how they can help prevent it. 7 p.m., Cordiner Hall.

Wednesday, March 30: Free workshops
Free presentations and workshops featuring topics on Violence prevention in our schools' and "Green Dot Program." Visit wwviolenceprevention.com for details and to register. 8:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Whitman campus, see Web site for details.

About Dorothy J. Edwards:
Dorothy J. Edwards, author of the Green Dot Violence Prevention Strategy, holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Texas Woman's University. Prior to her current position, serving as the Executive Director of Green Dot, etc., a center dedicated to effective intervention and prevention of power-based personal violence, Edwards served for five years as the founding Director of the University of Kentucky Violence Intervention and Prevention Center.

She has worked in both counseling and teaching capacities in higher education at Appalachian State University and Texas Women's University as well as founding the Community Education Program at Denton County Friends of the Family, addressing sexual assault and relationship violence. With a specialty in primary prevention, she provides training and consultation in the areas of power-based personal violence, organizational capacity building, program implementation, strategic planning and community mobilization. Edwards is currently working with government entities, state coalitions, military, non-profits, community organizations, high schools and colleges from around the globe.

For more information, contact:
Barbara Maxwell, associate dean of students
maxwelba@whitman.edu / 509-527-5208