Daily Prompts for 31 days of awareness

Day 1: Fact Friday

Share facts. It is often hard to identify or explain Domestic Violence (DV) because DV is complex, layered and intersects with other issues. Help us kickstart #DVAM with a visual snapshot what DV can look like.

Media: Mentimeter, Wordcloud, Graphics

Sample Question: Share words that come to your mind when you hear the term Domestic Violence? What does Domestic Violence look like?

Day 2:  Safety Saturday

What words come to mind when you think about safety in relationships? You could optionally reshare our graphic to create a Word Cloud, social media polls and tag us when sharing results! 

Share this text on your social media:

Day 3:  Self Care Checklist (can be used from October 3-9 - Mental Illness Awareness Week)

Facebook: Self Care can be CHALLENGING:

• if you have experienced abuse and trauma. 

• to prioritize when battling with feelings of shame, low self esteem or stigma and mental illness 
• to figure out as a regimen/ routine. What works for one/ once, may not work for others/ always. 

Checklists are a great way to develop good habits or remind yourself to stay on track with self-care when your mind is overwhelmed. Share your self-care checklist. Or tell us what is your "go-to" self-care practice, habit or tip that has worked for you?

Share the following text on your social media:

Facebook/ Instagram:

Self-care is critical for all survivors as a tool of resiliency to cope with the effects of trauma and abuse. However, individuals who have experienced abuse and trauma find it more challenging:

• to prioritize self-care when battling with feelings of shame, low self esteem or stigma and mental illness 
• figure out as a regimen/ routine. What works for one/ once, may not work for others/ always. 

Self-care can be especially challenging for survivors dealing with mental illness.  Mental health disorders and illness may impair the ability to care for one’s self or maintain self-care habits.  

October 3-9, 2021 is National Mental Illness Awareness Week #MIAW #Together4MH

Twitter:

Self-care can be challenging for survivors with mental illness. Mental illness may impair the ability to care for one’s self or maintain good self-care habits. October 3-9, 2021 is #NationalMentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW #Together4MH #Raksha31DaysofDVAM

Day 4:  October 4 is World Animal/ Pet Day.

Throw light on pet abuse and safety in the conversations around DV. Ideas: Share a picture of your pets! Or as a DV advocate / service provider, share your experience with helping survivors with pets. Share tips on keeping pets safe for victims and survivors. 

Reshare Raksha graphics (click for Canva link to download) and text on pet safety: 

Facebook

Spotlighting Pet Safety today on WorldAnimalDay #WorldPetDay!

🐾Pets are often used as tools of abuse or control by abusers.

🐾Fear for the welfare of pets is very likely to keep/delay survivors from leaving abusive situations to find safety. Also, only almost 90% percent of domestic violence shelters nationwide accept pets.

Scroll to see more resources for survivors and pet safety planning.

#day2#Raksha31daysofDVAM#DVAM2021#notwithoutmypet#petsafety#domesticviolence#DVpets#Every1KnowsSome1#DVAM

Instagram/ Twitter

Pet Safety and Domestic Violence are interlinked in more ways than one. Pets can become tools of control for abusers. Survivors hesitate to leave if their pets’ safety/ welfare is in question. Animal cruelty can be a sign of ongoing abuse or a predictor for future violence.  

Resources : for people and pets who need a safe escape from domestic violence

Ahimsa House (Georgia)

Resources for pet safety and housing

Hotline: 404-452-6248 | www.ahimsahouse.org 

Reporting Animal Cruelty - Ga Dept of Agriculture: Reporting Guidelines and HelAnimal Protection Department (GA Department of Agriculture): 1-800-282-5852, ext. 4914 or 404-656-4914

SAF-T Program (Sheltering Animals and Families Together ™)

Listing of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters and guidance for domestic violence shelters in creating on-site pet housing

Red Rover

Temporary emergency sheltering, resources, financial assistance and emotional support when animals and people are in crisis

Safe Place for Pets 

Grant Programs fund safe pet housing programs, trainings and other resources

Safe Havens Mapping Project 

State-by-state listing of sheltering services (

NCADV Pet Safety Planning Guide 

Call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) | Chat: www.ncadv.org | Text "START" to 88788

 Day 5:  Transformation Tuesday

Transformation Tuesday (of a different kind). Today we honor stories of survivors and their transformation journeys. Share a real life story on your social media or comment on our post today. You could DM us your story if you prefer anonymity.

Day 6: Wisdom Wednesday | Mental Health & DV

Share resources, information on an upcoming or past workshop, webinar (live /recording) on topics related to mental health, domestic violence awareness. Reshare Raksha content on how power and control can manifest in the South Asian cultural content. (Check out Raksha's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter on 10/6/2021)

Day 7: Purple Thursday | Purple Art Challenge

Color for a Cause Challenge: in honor of #DVAM!  The color purple has around 29 hues! Pick as many shades of purple you can to color the coloring sheets you can download on our DVAM Resource Page (www.raksha.org/DVAM).
Alternatively, share any purple themed work/object of art or choose to showcase any coloring sheet of your choice! 

Share this text on your social media:

Facebook, Instagram:

Ever wondered why Purple came to be the color of DV Awareness?

An expensive color to produce in ancient times, purple was traditionally associated with royalty, wealth, bravery (think, knighthood) - across western and eastern cultures.
Purple was also one of the colors for the women’s suffrage movement in the early 1900s and then the equal rights movement in the late 1970s. In October 1981, most advocates attending the first NCADV “Day of Unity,” also chose to wear lavender or purple and since then, purple continues to be the color associated with DVAM. *

Twitter: 

Tweet 1: Historically associated with royalty, wealth, knighthood, purple evolved to be the color for #DVAM since it began in 1981 when most participants at the 1st Call for Unity showed up in purple. 

Tweet 2:  This Thursday, show your support for #purpledvam, with art. Download the coloring sheets on our website or use any of your own choice. Did you know purple has 29 hues from red to blue on the color wheel? Use as many purple hues you can to color, share a pic of the final product. The artwork with the most shades of purple win a prize!

Day 8: Fact Friday

Share information on the mental health disorders that survivors are most at risk for (depression, PTSD, substance use disorders, suicidality and others) and list out online screening tools for mental health.

Share this text on your social media:

Facebook, Instagram:

Domestic Violence increases risk of mental illness.  Research clearly indicates that survivors of intimate partner/ domestic violence are more likely to be at risk for depression, PTSD, substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder, suicidality, chronic pain and other chronic health conditions. If you or anyone you know is experiencing any of the common symptoms of mental health disorders (graphic #3), consider starting with online screening.

Online screening is one of the quickest and easiest ways to start when it comes to assessing symptoms of a mental health condition. Learn about online screening tools: screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/ 

Twitter:

Domestic Violence increases risk of survivors for depression, PTSD, self-harm by 3x, substance use disorders by 4x, suicidality by 6x in addition to chronic pain and other chronic health conditions.

Day 9: Safety Planning

Does your organization have a safety plan for survivors? Share your organization’s safety plan for survivors or talk about the importance of a safety plan! Talk about what Safety means from the perspective of survivors. Share a safety plan for DV survivors. Or link to resources you can use to create a safety plan. If you are or know a survivor, share tips from your experience to create awareness on safety planning or how to address potential challenges around a safety plan.

Or give a shout out to another organization or resource on safety planning.

Day 10: World Mental Health Awareness Day

Talk about the mental health impacts of domestic violence, share resources and information for/ dedicate a post to individuals who are struggling with mental health issues as a result of domestic abuse.

Day 11: Self Love

Surviving domestic violence can create body image issues, and make it hard to practice self-love. Some studies have found that incidences of eating disorders are more common in survivors. 

Loving your body can be a source of power and strength, an act of resistance.

Share a message on self love, encouragement for survivors to love themselves.You could use graphics, quotes, articles, or social media posts.

Day 12: Honor Survivors

Reshare Raksha post or share stories of survivors and their transformation journeys. Share a post image or graphic depicting a survivor's journey or reshare our transformation post.

Day 13: Health & DV

Share information on the health impacts of DV on your social media and highlight the need for health screenings to include DV/IPV.  Use resources from the HCADV Action Kit, also made available on www.raksha.org/dvam. As a medical professional to send a video/ audio message on screening tools and resources for DV or host a social media conversation on health impacts of DV with a medical professional. 

Day 14: 

Give a shoutout to purple awareness campaign.

Raksha is spotlighting the #PutTheNailInIt campaign by Safe Horizon (https://putthenailinit.com).  The campaign asks to paint the nail of the left ring finger purple. An easy thing to do - challenge friends to do the same! Tag @rakshainc and #putthenailinit when you share pics!

Day 15: Fact Share

Common triggers and trauma responses in domestic violence survivors. Create awareness of the struggles that some survivors face by sharing resources on how to be mindful of triggers and trauma responses.

For example, Raksha is highlighting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a common trauma response in DV survivors. For resharing, please check out the social media posts  10/15/2021.

Text: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common trauma response in DV survivors. Individuals with secondary exposure to violence may also show secondary PTSD symptoms. 

APA’s Clinical Practice Guideline strongly recommends four interventions for treating posttraumatic stress disorder - Congnitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Therapy and Prolonged Exposure. APA also conditionally recommends Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy and Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET).

PTSD from interpersonal violence can also be influenced by other types of trauma experienced by survivors - childhood abuse, community violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, immigration-related trauma.

Day 16: Safety Saturday

Talk about safety planning in reference to the unique considerations, concerns, barriers for safety plans when it comes to underserved populations or survivors/ communities. Share posts/ graphics/ videos/ reels on top considerations when it comes to creating safety plans for survivors/ communities you serve.

Day 17: Self-Care Toolbox

Activity: Build and share a pic of your self-care toolbox!

Tips on creating a Self-Care Tool Box

(1) Choose items that will stimulate your 5 senses

(2) Choose a container or a spot to place these items in

(3) Be sure the container or spot is easily accessible.

Some examples of items that stimulate the 5 senses include, but are not limited to:

Taste: candy, gum, tea bag, refreshing drink

Touch: comfy blanket, stress ball, fidget toy, rock,

Smell: candle, essential oil, scented lotion, perfume/cologne

Sight: photo that brings you joy, list of positive affirmations

Sound: note down a song or sound of nature you can play aloud

Day 18: NNEDV Week of Action Day 1 - Media Monday

It’s #MotivationMonday! Today, we’re continuing the theme of the body and its power. Surviving domestic violence can lead to negative self-perception and suicidal ideation. Abuse can create feelings of dependency and isolation, making it hard to imagine life without the perpetrator. This week, Rupi Kaur (@rupikaur_) reminds us all that we are whole and capable the way we are. We have everything we need to be complete.  

Comment on our posts and let us know what you’d find if you “dove into” your body. Chime in with graphics, verse or text to describe wholeness of body and mind. Spotlight blogs, social media accounts that encourage body positivity and address deeply rooted cultural beliefs, body shaming etc.

Day 19: NNEDV Week of Action Day 2 - Twitter Chat Tuesday

Join us on Twitter (@rakshainc) 2pm-4pm EDTin resharing snippets from NNEDV's Twitter Chat Tuesday. Follow us on twitter for updates: @rakshainc

Day 20: NNEDV Week of Action Day 3 - Do Work Wednesdays

Share information on how #Every1KnowsSome1 who is affected by DV. Discuss ways to spot signs of DV and support survivors in your community.

Day 21: NNEDV Week of Action Day 4 Purple Thursday

Join Raksha in wearing purple today to show support for survivors and DVAM. Wear Purple and share a pic. Get Purple Thursday printables, frames from the NNEDV toolkit.

Day 22: NNEDV Week of Action 2021 Day 4 Philanthropy Friday

Dedicate a post/ graphic/ quote/ reference a webinar, video to a resource/ organization/ individual that works for serving underserved communities/ provide culturally-specific services. Specify ways to help and donate!

Day 23: Emotional Safety

Text:  Creating emotional safety helps build long-term resilience to cope with impacts of abuse and trauma. Emotional safety plans are flexible and personalized because emotional safety can mean different things for different individuals or different things to the same individual at different times.  

An emotional safety plan includes anything that helps the survivor feel accepting of your emotions and decisions when dealing with abuse (thehotline.org). That could include:

1. Creating resource lists (local service providers, crisis help)
2. Identifying a support network/ circle (caring friends, family members, support groups)
3. Creating space for regular and routine self-care and make self-care options and tools readily available.
4. Journaling, listing triggers and affirmations and reminders to self 
5. Create peaceful spaces for yourself
6. Focus and start with the most achievable goals on your to-do list.

Day 24: Self Care List

Self-care lists for survivors of domestic violence could look different for every survivor but need to address common impacts of abuse like wounded self-esteem, mental health impacts - PTSD, depression, substance abuse. Here’s what a self-care plan for survivor could include:

1. Positive affirmations (journaling, poetry, art)
2. Physical movement (exercise, dance)
3. Anxiety management practices (yoga, breathing exercises, mindfulness techniques)
4. Management of trauma triggers (with therapy, clinical interventions and guidance from mental health professionals)

Day 25: Normalize Contradictions

Share excerpts/ quotes/ motivational verse addressing assumptions and misguided standards of perfection for survivors and the need to normalize contradictions. Tell us your contradictions or those you observe in people around you. For example, loving spicy food while having a low spice tolerance, etc.

Day 26: Gratitude

One month to go for Thanksgiving! Let's take a moment to think about one thing you are thankful for/ that evokes gratitude in you. Try to allude to the work/progress around gender-based violence or the difference you get to make in the lives of survivors. Share in the form of a word, post, graphic, memory.

Day 27: Healing through creative pursuits

Attend Daya Houston's workshop: Healing through Storytelling. Share stories, information on healing through art, writing, poetry. Tell us about a creative pursuit that has helped you or someone tide through the experience of domestic abuse?

Day 28: Purple Pumpkins

Share your creativity in showing your support for DVAM - a purple ribbon on your pumpkins, pics of purple pumpkins or purple in your decor.

Day 29: Fact share - Healthy Relationships

Address impacts of direct or indirect exposure to domestic violence on youth (Children, adolescents, teens). Highlight resources on healthy relationships as tools for domestic violence awareness and prevention.

Day 30: Emotional Safety + Managing Triggers

Some holidays, gatherings, celebrations may become unexpectedly triggering for those dealing with PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome) or struggle with mental health as a result of trauma or abuse. Dealing with triggers is an important element of emotional safety.

Share tips, infographics, links to resources on managing triggers and emotional safety planning.

Day 31: Unmasking Abusers

#DVAM2021 may have come to a close but the need to work to eliminate domestic violence and ensure healing, justice and empowerment for survivors must continue every day. Ending  #DVAM with a note on the need to be more aware of the signs of domestic violence to stop the silence on this issue. Supporting survivors means unmasking abusers and seeing them for who they really are, despite how they may seem outside of the relationship.