Near West Side Partners, Inc., in collaboration with Neighborhood House, the Marquette University Creating a Safe Campus Environment program and Aurora Health Care Better Together Fund, will conduct a range of awareness efforts regarding domestic violence for Domestic Violence Awareness month. The campaign will begin with a sexual violence prevention workshop on Monday, October 23, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. in Marquette University’s Todd Wehr Chemistry Building, 1355. Wisconsin Ave.

Throughout the Near West Side, an ongoing Teal Out campaign aims to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault throughout October, which is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness month. The Teal Out – displaying posters of teal ribbons in the windows of residences, businesses, public buildings, schools/universities, hospitals, churches, etc. – is meant to be a public display of the community’s commitment to ending domestic violence and sexual assault.

This campaign also contributes to a critical goal shared by the Aurora Health Care Better Together Fund and the Near West Side Partners by making the Near West Side an even better place to live, work and play. Events taking place include:

• Love Doesn’t Hurt Workshop in which participants will learn signs of domestic abuse and will be able to identify behavior signaling domestic violence. October 23, 2017, 5:30 – 7 p.m., Todd Wehr Chemistry Building, 1355. Wisconsin Ave.

• We Believe You Photo Campaign is an opportunity for students to make a pledge to help end violence by taking a photo to be displayed on social media. Students can visit a table from 11a.m. – 1 p.m., on the following dates:  October 23, 2017, second floor of Alumni Memorial Union; October 26, 2017, second floor of Alumni Memorial Union; October 27, 2017, The Brew in Alumni Memorial Union.

• Awareness Ribbons Distribution and Display are days when university students and the Near West Side Partners will distribute prevention resource information, ribbons, and posters for residents and businesses to display in their windows. Distribution will take place on October 24 and 26, 2017, 5 – 7 p.m., Marquette University Alumni Memorial Union.

• Intersectionality and Domestic Violence Lunch and Learn with Laura Lingle is a session focused on how intersections of identity impact access to services for those who have faced sexual violence. It will take place on October 26, 2017, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center.

• Domestic Violence in the Queer Community with Guest Speaker Laura Lingle is a lecture on how those in the LGBTQ+ community experience Domestic Violence and understand how to help those in the LGBTQ+ community access services and support when facing violence. It will take place on October 26, 2017, 6:30 – 8 p.m. in Alumni Memorial Union.

• The large, 6-foot teal ribbons will be displayed in several locations throughout the Near West Side all month long, October 1-31, 2017 to promote domestic violence awareness.

Domestic violence awareness efforts in the Near West Side are made possible through coordination with Near West Side Partners’ Promoting Assets and Reducing Crime (PARC) initiative, Neighborhood House and the Marquette University Creating a Safe Campus Environment program through the support of Aurora Health Care’s Better Together Fund.