We Are the Movement: 2026 WSCADVSA Conference

A high functioning board is one of the best things that can happen to an organization. But it doesn’t just happen. In this workshop, we’ll talk about how to build, orient, and support your board’s development so that they can become confident and passionate ambassadors for your organization’s mission. In this interactive time together, we’ll talk about roles and responsibilities, boundaries, and the most critical relationship in a not-for-profit organization, the board/executive director partnership. Come with your questions and curiosity and leave with strategies to put into place at your next board meeting.

• Examine common myths and facts about commercial sexual exploitation and the definitions that shape our responses.
• Explore exploitation across generations, including the experiences of youth, young adults, and adults.
• Consider how adultification, racial bias, grooming, and responses to missing Black youth affect prevention and intervention.
• Learn from the expertise of survivors/experiencers, advocates, families, and communities.
• Identify opportunities for community engagement, healing, and approaches beyond the current service paradigm.

Belonging doesn't happen by accident—it grows through the stories we tell, the relationships we nurture, and the practices we choose together.

Whether you helped create the Living Lineage Project on Day One or are experiencing it for the first time, this workshop invites you to add your voice to the collective story while exploring practical ways to strengthen connection within your own organization and community.

Together we'll discover simple, adaptable practices that help welcome new advocates, preserve movement wisdom, deepen relationships, and cultivate cultures where people feel seen, valued, and inspired to continue this work for the long haul.

We know that trauma impacts the clients we serve, but how does witnessing, helping with, or hearing about trauma day after day affect you personally and professionally? What is its impact on the organizations we work in?

Join this workshop to understand the “occupational hazards” of victim advocacy, and to identify what you can do to minimize the risk to yourself and your organization.

When teacher misconduct and boundary violations came to light at Vashon Island’s only high school, the community faced a choice: react with blame or respond with intention. This case study traces how the Vashon Island School District and The DOVE Project built a multi-stakeholder workgroup grounded in restorative and transformative justice. With this work, producing four concrete pillars of change: district-wide training, redesigned reporting systems, community reparations, and a long-term cultural change plan.

The DOVE Project’s years of comprehensive prevention programming embedded in Vashon schools and built on trusted relationships across every stakeholder group uniquely positioned DOVE to step into this support role. Prevention organizations bring something no outside consultant can: existing credibility and trust with students, families, and staff. That foundation is what made neutral facilitation possible, and what made the community willing to come to the table.

This session makes the case that prevention programs across the region are not peripheral to addressing harm that youth experience in schools, but rather they are essential to it. When districts face harm, the organizations already doing daily prevention work are best positioned to help rebuild trust, center youth voices, and move toward lasting safety through youth-centered policy and practice reform.

In this interactive workshop, advocates create their own Developmental Dreamcatcher, with each bead representing a milestone from their career journey in advocacy to where they are today. The activity is grounded in Indigenous teachings on growth and healing, drawing a direct line between the clinical practice of trauma-informed advocacy and the cultural traditions that have long supported healing in Native communities. Participants leave not only with a meaningful handmade item, but with a renewed, culturally grounded sense of purpose in their advocacy work they can take home or bring to their office. 

Limit 25 participants. All are welcome, but we particularly encourage Native advocates and advocates who work primarily with Native survivors to join this session.

Have you wanted to use your voice to help leaders and legislators better understand what survivors truly need? Are you unsure whether your staff can engage in lobbying? This session will help answer those questions and learn how!

Whether you are new to policy advocacy or looking to deepen your understanding, this session will explore the fundamentals of public policy, the differences between education and lobbying, and the important role domestic violence and sexual assault programs play in informing policy decisions.

Building beyond the basics, participants will take a deeper dive into lobbying laws and permissible advocacy activities. Learn effective strategies for engaging local, state, and federal policymakers, preparing for legislative meetings, building long-term relationships with decision-makers, and identifying opportunities to influence policy year-round. Attendees will leave with a stronger understanding of both the "why" and the "how" of policy engagement, along with practical tools to confidently navigate public policy work within their professional roles.

Who is the primary audience for this workshop? (I am not sure of the norms how this is answered or if there are specific categories) Anyone interested in public policy

Mandated reporting has caused real harm to survivors — and a lot of that harm comes from over-reporting. This training provides context around challenges and problems within our current system that create harm for families seeking support and get practical about what domestic violence advocates are actually required to report (spoiler: it's less than you think). Liz and Trina will walk through how to recognize what falls outside your scope, how to safety plan effectively, and how to show up for survivors in the rare moments when a report is truly required. Come ready to question assumptions and leave with clearer boundaries and more confidence in a survivor-first approach.

This training equips non-clinicians with practical skills to recognize and respond to common mental health challenges experienced by survivors. Participants will learn how trauma can affect emotional well-being, how to provide compassionate, trauma-informed support, and when and how to connect individuals with professional resources. The session emphasizes building confidence in supportive conversations while maintaining appropriate boundaries and fostering resilience, healing, and hope.