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This year’s conference honors the people who built this movement, and the people continuing to carry it forward. For generations, survivors, advocates, organizers, and community members have created safety, support, and change together. Their lived experience, knowledge, and care have shaped this work from the very beginning. Join us for two days of connection, learning, and envisioning what’s possible when we build safety, healing, and belonging together.

Speaker and workshop announcements coming soon! For more information, please see our FAQ page or contact us at [email protected].

For more information about the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, visit our website.
Subject: self-care/sustainable practice clear filter
Monday, September 28
 

10:30am PDT

Creating Medicine Shields
Monday September 28, 2026 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT

Advocates will create their own Medicine Shield in this hands-on workshop. Medicine Shields have long served as symbols of protection and strength within Native traditions, including all cultures. This session invites participants to discuss how incorporating cultural practices like this one into their work can support resilience, self-care, and a deeper, more culturally responsive connection to the communities they serve. 

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

Arlene Red Elk

Yeha:wi Healing Journey Facilitator, Mother Nation
Elder Arlene Red Elk (Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe) is Lead Facilitator and master designer of the Circle of Life workshop series. She specializes in multi-abuse trauma of violence against women and is well known across Indian Country as designer of services such as the original Ina... Read More →
avatar for Bridgette Light

Bridgette Light

Yeha:wi Healing Journey Co-Facilitator, Mother Nation
Bridgette (Jamestown S’klallam Tribe) joined Mother Nation in 2023 to assist Elder Arlene Red Elk with the Yeha:wi Healing Journey. She is a member of the Jamestown S’klallam Tribe and a holistic nutritionist currently studying plant medicine and indigenous food pathways. Bridgette worked for her Tribe for several yea... Read More →
Monday September 28, 2026 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT

1:30pm PDT

Principles of Coaching for Managers and Directors
Monday September 28, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT

Are you looking for ways to feel that spark of creativity and connection again with your staff and team? What about yourself?  Coaching skills can be a way to encourage and engage, build self-awareness, and foster a healthy organizational culture. Come learn about some principles and practices of coaching and how it relates to survivor advocacy and program management. This interactive workshop will be informed by the Co-Active Coaching model. We’ll also talk about coaching support for us as positional leaders, and dealing with the isolation, exhaustion, and burn-out that so many face these days.
Speakers
KM

Keri Moran-Kuhn

Executive Director, Oregon Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence
Since 1991, Keri has been engaged in supporting survivors. Her work began in Ohio, then continued in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and eventually lead her to Oregon in 2000. Keri has been with the Coalition since 2005 in various roles and currently is the Associate Director. Keri... Read More →
Monday September 28, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT

1:30pm PDT

The Living Lineage Project: Story, Art, and Belonging Across the Movement
Monday September 28, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
Who helped shape your journey into this work? What wisdom do you carry? What do you hope others inherit from you?

Join us for a creative, story-centered workshop where we'll reflect, connect, and contribute to a collaborative art project honoring the many people, experiences, and communities that make up this movement. Together we'll explore how storytelling and collective creativity cultivate belonging across generations of advocates while helping create a living expression of our shared movement that will continue to evolve throughout the conference.
Speakers
avatar for Alexis Flanagan

Alexis Flanagan

CEO, Resonance Network
Alexis Flanagan (she/ella) is a queer Black feminist DC girl whose heart pumps to the beat of “the Pocket” that holds down DC go-go music and culture. 

After living abroad as an exchange student in Argentina during her senior year of high school and receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from University of Maryland, College Park, Alexis began her career as a K-12 and adult educator, teaching Spanish to... Read More →
Monday September 28, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
TBA
 
Tuesday, September 29
 

10:30am PDT

You Are the Intervention: Worldwide Indigenous Wisdom for Supporting Parents and Children on their Healing Journey
Tuesday September 29, 2026 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
How we show up is the work. Knowledge and interventions matter, but the relationship you build with surviors is the strongest predictor of healing. In this workshop, we'll cover:
  • How to support someone who has experienced domestic violence without taking over, causing more harm, or making them feel more alone.
  • How to help parents protect their children's childhoods — recognizing that a child's behavior is communication of a need, not necessarily a replay of what an abusive parent modeled, and that kids need to be able to just be kids.
  • What Indigenous cultures worldwide can teach us about raising healthy kids and building strong families and exploring more effective ways of relating that build safety, dignity, connection, and resilience. 
  • How to take care of your own nervous system so you can stay present and effective without burning out.
You'll leave with a deeper understanding of how relationship drives healing, a broader lens for supporting families, real tools for helping kids stay kids, and ways to sustain yourself in this work.
Speakers
avatar for Betty Peralta

Betty Peralta

Mental Health and Education Specialist, Children in Bloom
Betty Peralta, MIT, MS-MHC, IMH-E® Mentor-Clinical, is a mental health and education specialist with 26 years of experience: 14 as an educator, 12 as a mental health therapist, 12 as a parent coach, and 8 as a reflective consultant and trainer for family support professionals. She... Read More →
Tuesday September 29, 2026 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT

1:30pm PDT

Carrying It Forward: Practices for Belonging, Storytelling, and Movement Memory
Tuesday September 29, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
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.
Speakers
avatar for Alexis Flanagan

Alexis Flanagan

CEO, Resonance Network
Alexis Flanagan (she/ella) is a queer Black feminist DC girl whose heart pumps to the beat of “the Pocket” that holds down DC go-go music and culture. 

After living abroad as an exchange student in Argentina during her senior year of high school and receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from University of Maryland, College Park, Alexis began her career as a K-12 and adult educator, teaching Spanish to... Read More →
Tuesday September 29, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
TBA

1:30pm PDT

Navigating Your Money Story While Supporting Survivors
Tuesday September 29, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
Many advocates feel hesitant to offer guidance when they are still navigating their own financial journeys. In this workshop, we will explore our personal money belief systems to build the self-awareness needed to lead with empathy and clarity. By understanding our own relationship with money, we can more confidently facilitate difficult financial conversations with survivors, even while navigating our own challenges.


Speakers
avatar for Kitty Gresswell

Kitty Gresswell

Financial Empowerment Instructor, YWCA, Seattle, King, Snohomish
Kitty Gresswell is a financial empowerment educator specializing in trauma-informed financial literacy, coaching, and economic resilience. She has developed and facilitated financial education programs for survivors of domestic violence and individuals experiencing financial instability... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Quiroz

Jennifer Quiroz

Executive Director, Financial Empowerment Network
Jennifer Quiroz is the Executive Director of the Financial Empowerment Network (FEN). Jennifer has over 20 years’ experience in nonprofit programming, focused on gender-based violence, immigrant communities and financial empowerment. Prior to taking on this role in 2021, Jennifer... Read More →
Tuesday September 29, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT

1:30pm PDT

Vicarious Trauma & You
Tuesday September 29, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
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.
Speakers
avatar for Stephanie Sacks

Stephanie Sacks

Clinical Director, Rebuilding Hope Sexual Assault Center
Stephanie Sacks, LMHC is the Clinical Director with Rebuilding Hope Sexual Assault Center serving Pierce & Kitsap Counties, where she has worked for the last 32 years. She holds a Master’s degree in Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and is licensed with... Read More →
Tuesday September 29, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT

3:30pm PDT

Developmental Dreamcatcher Workshop for Advocates
Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT

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.
Speakers
avatar for Martin Spotted Bear

Martin Spotted Bear

Waatunwan Case Manager, Mother Nation
Martin (Blackfeet Nation) brings experience in social work to his calling to implement Trauma-Informed Care with a cultural approach to assist Native people struggling from chronic homelessness. He is a believer in utilizing traditional values to advocate for the Indigenous communities... Read More →
avatar for Shanna Howtopat

Shanna Howtopat

MMIWP Advocate, Mother Nation
Shanna is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and descended from the Umatilla and Warm Springs tribes. She is experienced in the legal field and her calling has been to advocate for her Native people through local, state, and tribal systems. She is honored to be a MMIP Advoca... Read More →
avatar for Zoey Martin

Zoey Martin

Yeha:wi DV Advocate, Mother Nation
Zoey (Taino, Peruvian) is a Yeha:wi service advocate, providing help to our relatives who are fleeing domestic violence. She also works at the Spirit Journey House advocating for our sisters that are in recovery. She believes it is such an honor to be a part of this good work and... Read More →
Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
 
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