The Advocate’s Group, Building Relationships, and Being Thankful
by Natalie Phillips
November is here again and as we get ready to move into the holiday season many of us use this time to reflect on what makes us thankful. For me, it’s pretty easy. I’m thankful for the relationships, information, and advocates that make up DVN Advocate’s Group (AG). Building relationships in the domestic violence community is valuable to the Advocate’s Group members and those they serve. Networking and training not only give advocates up-to-date knowledge on specific topics and services, but also gives them a chance to put names with faces which can make referrals and questions about services easier.
I also really enjoy hearing from advocates about what they want to learn more about or where they run in to barriers. This helps DVN plan trainings and facilitate new relationships so that advocates have the resources they need. When you combine the commitment of the Central Indiana advocates with the right information it creates a better continuum of services for those in need.
Advocates have difficult jobs that require empathy and compassion while working in tough situations. The Advocate’s Group is a way that DVN can give back to our community through best-practices training, resources, and networking. Anyone that works with victims/survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault, or wants to work to end domestic violence in our community, can join by emailing me at nphillips@dvnconnect.org. So to the advocates of Central Indiana, I’m so thankful for all of you and I look forward to the next year!
Natalie Phillips is a social worker with 15 years of experience in non-profit organizations and schools. She specializes in women’s health working with individuals, families, volunteers, and the community. She has worked as a domestic violence victim advocate, a project coordinator, and public policy analyst with an emphasis on public health and macro social work.
Currently she is the Program Coordinator at the Domestic Violence Network where she facilitates trainings for domestic violence advocates, businesses, non-profit organizations, medical professionals, clergy, and community groups. She also oversees the DVN Advocate’s Group for the education and collaboration of direct service providers in Central Indiana.