THE ADVOCATE

The OVP (Office of Violence Prevention) is excited to share with you our first newsletter with you, The Advocate!  We will be distributing newsletter updates throughout the year, and we welcome your comments and feedback; we'd like our newsletter to be relevant, informative, and interesting for you, our partners and readers.  Please feel free to send suggestions to lagrsvp@uga.edu.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Office for Violence Prevention (OVP) seeks to engage and empower community members to actively participate in creating a campus community that is free from sexual and relationship violence by:

• Challenging cultural attitudes and beliefs that contribute to violence.
• Promoting healthy relationships, respect and tolerance for others.
• Taking responsibility for actions and inactions that perpetuate and condone violence.
• Promoting non-violent solutions for dealing with conflict and differences.
• Fostering a sense of community where all members of the UGA community feel safe and welcomed.

OVP is a refuge for students impacted by relationship and sexual violence seeking support services to begin the healing process. OVP is a resource for the campus community and advocates for individuals needing assistance, information, confidential consultation, and referral services on and off- campus. OVP also provides leadership and development opportunities for students, faculty and staff interested in making UGA a safe place for everyone.

GOALS

• To provide leadership opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to learn more about the culture of sexual and relationship violence.
• To understand how this culture impacts us all.
• To collectively create healthy alternatives that will improve the lives of all people through education, dialog and raising awareness through events on campus.