Individuals Standing Against Interpersonal Violence (ISAIV)

To tackle this problem, Individuals Standing Against Interpersonal Violence (ISAIV) was founded in October of 2020. ISAIV is a UW student-led non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the disconnect between resources and survivors. Our solution is to spread DV education and empower both survivors and communities to take a stand against interpersonal violence. We plan to achieve our goal through two Institutions: healthcare and universities. 

Healthcare is currently at the forefront of our efforts. Many healthcare institutions lack basic knowledge of DV. We aim to change the status quo by not only improving DV education of healthcare professionals, but by also making resources more accessible to patients. We are currently collaborating with Dr. Rachel Chapman, a UW professor in the Anthropology Department, and Seattle clinics to fulfill these goals. While we are creating educational brochures that inform healthcare providers of ways to support patients experiencing DV, ISAIV is also developing information cards listing local organizations and advocacy groups that will be discreetly handed out to patients. We believe this bimodal approach in improving DV resources in healthcare systems will strengthen this crucial part of our community. To track and evaluate our progress and impact, Dr. Chapman and our team have set weekly goals and meetings until the completion of the project by the end of July 2021. So far, we have completed the brochure designs and are researching organizations to include in the informational cards. The next major step in our project is to print these devices and distribute to clinics. 

While building the foundations of ISAIV, we connected with the Coalition to End Abuse (CTEA) at Harvard University and Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Activists (SARVA) at UW, both of which are student-led efforts combating DV. In conversations with the founders of these organizations, we recognized that numerous DV projects fail to make large-scale impacts due to a lack of awareness in younger generations. Once again, a gap in knowledge is preventing progress in DV work. These conversations led to the formation of ISAIV’s second project: creating a national network of university organizations united under the common goal of combatting DV. We have joined forces with other student leaders to create a website that lists the information of all university organizations interested in being a part of the network. Once we create this database, student advocates from across the U.S. can connect with one another for collaboration, scaling any niche project into a national movement. Additionally, incoming college students can rely on our database to look for resources readily available on their campuses, and survivors can use our platform to share their stories. 

Working together with CTEA and SARVA through weekly check-ins, we have already begun a national search for interest. Within weeks, we have contacted five organizations across the U.S. that will be joining our efforts. At the end of this spring quarter, we will complete a beta-version of our database. By the end of 2021, we hope to have at least one university organization from every state represented in our network. By spring of 2022, we hope our network will be a common tool university students use across the U.S. We are determined to reach this goal because we believe it will not only benefit UW students but also college students from across the U.S. Through these two intersectional projects, ISAIV is bridging the gap between the community and DV organizations while strengthening institutions of healthcare and higher education in regards to advocacy work. 

By increasing accessibility of resources, fostering an environment of support, and promoting the  welfare of survivors, we are accomplishing many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), and Goal 3 (Good Health, and Wellbeing). With financial support from the UW Resilience and Compassion Seed Grant, ISAIV will be able to complete these projects and, in turn, help countless of survivors, strengthen networks, and empower communities from across the U.S. to take a stand against interpersonal violence.