Cambridge Domestic and Gender Based Violence Prevention Initiative Reception October 28

City officials will host a reception for the new Cambridge Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Prevention Initiative Wednesday, October 28, at 4 p.m., in the Sullivan Chamber of City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue. Light refreshments will be served prior to the start of the program. Special guest performance by The Hip Hop Transformation. This event is sponsored by the office of the Cambridge City Manager.

Speakers include: Mayor David P. Maher; State Representative Marjorie Decker; City Manager Richard C. Rossi; Liz Speakman, Cambridge Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Prevention Initiative Coordinator; Evelyn Rivera, Steering Committee Member and Trauma and Mental Health Counselor; and Rev. Lorraine Thornhill, First Holiness Church, Cambridge.

In 2011, State Representative Marjorie Decker, who was serving on the Cambridge City Council at the time, worked with City leaders to host a community forum and Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign called 21 Days of Questions, 365 Days of Action.  This coordinating group collected over 1,000 questions from people across Cambridge.  Following additional community forums, the City of Cambridge made a commitment to create a new position in order to coordinate ongoing efforts on domestic and gender-based violence in the city.

Liz Speakman was appointed as director of the Cambridge Domestic and Gender-Based Violence in October 2014. A Steering Committee was formed and tasked with implementing the goals of the Initiative, which are to engage and mobilize Cambridge’s communities, agencies and city departments to change attitudes, behaviors, policies and practices to prevent and bring attention to domestic and gender-based violence.  In collaboration with community leaders, local agencies and interested citizens, the initiative will develop and provide accessible, safe and relevant strategies and resources to prevent and respond to domestic violence within all communities in Cambridge.

The Oct. 28 reception will provide an opportunity for the Initiative’s Steering Committee to report on the results of a Needs Assessment conducted this spring and summer and will allow for informal community input and potential participation on projects and subcommittees going forward.

Link to Event Flier

For more information, please visit: www.cambridgema.gov/domesticviolence.