Petersburg’s domestic violence prevention nonprofit has rolled out new programs meant to support families and youth in the community.
Listen here:
Working Against Violence for Everyone board president Nicole McMurren told KFSK that, as a nonprofit focused on violence prevention, there are some common misconceptions about who can access WAVE and their services.
“People have maybe a bit of a narrow view of the kind of work that WAVE does do and provide,” she said, “It’s not just people in crisis, (it’s) developing skills. It’s the young, it’s the old, it’s those folks who are in between.”
“It’s for everyone,” Executive Director Rikki McKay added. “It’s in the name!”
To support families, WAVE has begun a weekly research-based parenting course. McKay said it was something she hadn’t seen before in the community.
“I am a parent, and I’ve wanted to have a group like this for a really long time,” she said.
The group discusses a variety of topics, including children’s attachment styles, the emotional pressures on parents, and how raising children has changed through history.
McKay said this current cohort is closed, but WAVE will open up another group later this spring. The group will be small, so she recommended interested parents call WAVE to get on the waitlist. Parents with children of all ages are welcome to join.
WAVE has also started a new youth leadership program called the Tide Turners.
“I love the name that they chose,” McMurren said. “That just says so much about the intent with which they are moving forward.”
The group is led by youth, and McKay said the group identified issues they wanted to change at school.
“They put together a presentation, and they spoke to their administrator,” McKay said.
Now the group is looking to identify community issues that they can tackle. McKay said the organization is asking the question, “How can WAVE support them to gain some leadership skills and let them know that people in Petersburg really do support youth?”
The group was invited to a conference last year to learn leadership skills. They also recently spoke about teen dating violence prevention at the school.
All four of the original members of the Tide Turners have been nominated for statewide youth leadership awards.
The Tide Turners meet at the WAVE community space during the first Monday of the month. The group is open to 6-12th graders.
