(Sponsored by Alianza and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women)

Registration Open for Washington State

California training dates and registration to be announced soon.
This interactive training will prepare DV service providers and others who work with DV survivors to assist and provide information and resources to them about financial literacy and how to start their own businesses or cooperatives. The training will also address specific issues, within this context, faced by Latina survivors, including immigrant women. Trainees will get a copy of the curriculum, video, and power point presentations.

DV Advocates and Other Service Providers Took Part in an Intense Training on Financial Literacy/Money Management and Starting Your Own Business

Ivonne Ortiz, Alianza’s Training & TA Coordinator and Jo Ann Marquez Garay, WESST give an example within the Baking Industry, where the consumer dictated the trend toward cupcakes – which became a huge national fad that included cupcake wars and mass media notoriety.

Participants working intently in working groups.

Participants broke up into working groups.

The women came up with some very creative ventures.

You can have fun while discussing a serious topic.

Ivonne Ortiz, Alianza’s Training & TA Coordinator and Jo Ann Marquez Garay, WESST give an example within the Baking Industry, where the consumer dictated the trend toward cupcakes – which became a huge national fad that included cupcake wars and mass media notoriety.

Participants working intently in working groups.

Participants broke up into working groups.

The women came up with some very creative ventures.

You can have fun while discussing a serious topic.

About 20 advocates and other service providers, from throughout New Mexico and as far away as Chicago, Texas and Washington, attended Alianza's first Pilot training on Financial Literacy/Money Management and How to Start and Maintain Your Own Business. The training was delivered jointly by Ivonne Ortiz, Alianza's Training & TA Coordinator, and Jo Ann Garay, Program Coordinator and Trainer, for WESST (Women's Economic Self-Sufficiency Team). The trainers engaged the women in interactive exercises that gave them a real feel for what it's like to effectively manage their finances and to plan, finance and market a business. Albuquerque business owners Cecilia Baca (Cecilia's Café) and Dawn Maestas (LLC, Laser Tatoo Removal) and Eri Flor and Aurea Miros, from MIJAS Restaurant in Olympia, WA, made presentations and offered technical advice to the trainees.

Alianza is working in partnership with several DV organizations and other CBOs to host the trainings in each respective region. To request a training in your area contact Ivonne Ortiz: ivonneo@dvalianza.org.

Dozens Attend Alianza Video Screening in New Mexico (See Photo Gallery)

The 28-minute video, produced by Alianza and Arnold Trujillo (A Trujillo Production), features several survivors who were able to break away from violent and abusive relationships and are now living financially independent lives that are free of violence. The women have wonderful lessons and knowledge that will inspire not only victims of domestic violence, but also other women who want to make a better life. They not only tell us about the enormous challenges they faced and had to overcome, but they talk about the strength, support, and opportunities that helped them on their journeys to rebuild their lives and become successful business owners.

The video, accompanies a train-the-trainer curriculum produced as part of Alianza's Financial Independence for Survivors of Domestic Violence Training Project.

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Staff of Alianza and National Compadres Network are joined for a group photo by trainees who came to Albuquerque from various parts of the country.

Dr. Ricardo Carrillo spoke about the various types of trauma that boys, women and men endure as a result of experiencing violence.

Ivonne Ortiz, Training and TA Coordinator for Alianza, chats with one of the trainees from Chicago who works with young men coming out of prison.

Deanda Montoya, Alianza’s Administrative Assistant/Office Manager (left) worked on the meeting logistics, on collecting donations and on registrations. She is joined at the registration table by Monica Chavez Montoya, Alianza’s Fiscal Officer.

Adelita M. Medina, Alianza’s Executive Director, dedicated the training to Luis Manuel Medina, a long-time domestic violence, sexual assault, and children’s rights advocate, who passed away on July 27, 2011. She spoke about the importance of nurturing our sons the same way we nurture our daughters.

Trainees listened intently throughout the day and a half training.

Staff of Alianza and National Compadres Network are joined for a group photo by trainees who came to Albuquerque from various parts of the country.

Dr. Ricardo Carrillo spoke about the various types of trauma that boys, women and men endure as a result of experiencing violence.

Ivonne Ortiz, Training and TA Coordinator for Alianza, chats with one of the trainees from Chicago who works with young men coming out of prison.

Deanda Montoya, Alianza’s Administrative Assistant/Office Manager (left) worked on the meeting logistics, on collecting donations and on registrations. She is joined at the registration table by Monica Chavez Montoya, Alianza’s Fiscal Officer.

Adelita M. Medina, Alianza’s Executive Director, dedicated the training to Luis Manuel Medina, a long-time domestic violence, sexual assault, and children’s rights advocate, who passed away on July 27, 2011. She spoke about the importance of nurturing our sons the same way we nurture our daughters.

Trainees listened intently throughout the day and a half training.

Alianza's Working with Men and Boys to End Domestic Violence national training, held October 17 and 18 in Albuquerque, NM, was definitely not your "typical" domestic violence training. "This has honestly been the best training I have ever attended," shared one trainee. "It has provided me with the opportunity to bring my beliefs and culture into my everyday work." Another stated: "Awesome training. Speakers are very knowledgeable and engaging. Interaction and methods of training are understandable, heart-felt, and relative to the culture and population of our area."

The training was a profoundly moving and, at times, a gut-wrenching experience for both trainers and trainees, who traveled from various parts of the country. The powerful dramatizations by Jerry Tello, of personal experiences with his familia- abuelita, dad, mom, children, and grandchildren-kept participants' attention riveted throughout both days.

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Arte Sana's Existe Ayuda (Help Exists) project is to produce and disseminate replicable Spanish-language outreach materials to help improve the cultural competence of service providers and the accessibility of services for Spanish-speaking victims of sexual violence. These materials—glossaries, PowerPoint presentations, and other tools—will help facilitate the work of bilingual/bicultural staff, especially those who are just beginning Spanish-language programs. The project was funded by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)/U.S. Department of Justice.

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While significant progress has been made, in recent decades, in raising awareness about the devastating effects of domestic violence, and many lives have been protected and saved, domestic violence continues at epidemic proportions. It continues to tear families apart regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, or economic background, leaving in its path physically, emotionally, and spiritually injured women, men, and children.

According to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control in February 2008 (Adverse Health Conditions and Health Risk Behaviors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) one in four women is abused by a current or former spouse, partner or boyfriend at some point in her life. Another study by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (Intimate Partner Violence in the United States) says that on average more than three women a day, in the United States, are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.

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