Erin Mc Kinley of Senior Troop 1099 in Princeton developed this for her Girl Scout Gold Award Project.
To earn this IPP, you must complete: two skill builders, including the starred item, one technology, one service project, one career exploration and two activities from any category that you choose.
Skill Builders:
* 1. Participate in a three-hour self-defense course class or several courses totaling three hours,
certification from the instructor must be documented.
Attend a lecture or peer interaction class concerning domestic/dating violence. Discuss what you learned and how it has made you more aware of protecting yourself.
Learn about Pledges against Violence. Obtain the pledge card, review it and make the pledge to
be part of making your home and community a safer place to live.
What are the warning signs of violence in a relationship? Obtain information about your rights in
in a relationship and how you can protect yourself from violent behavior. Discuss with your troop/friends what steps you should take if you find yourself in a relationship that is not safe.
What do you do if a friend or relative is in an unsafe relationship? Find out what organizations or
support groups are available to assist them. Explore ways to help them realize that they are in danger and how you might help them.
Find out what medical, legal and domestic violence support organizations are in your county.
Explore the various roles each play when an incident of domestic or dating violence occurs. Explore what steps you should take if you find yourself in a situation that is violent or life threatening.
If you had less than five minutes to leave your home, what would you bring? Design an
emergency exit kit that you would take if needed, think about items like money, identifications,
phone numbers, etc.
Technology
Obtain a video from a domestic abuse shelter about their services. Review with your troop/friends.
2. Read The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. How do his techniques for protecting yourself fit into
your life? What did you learn that you could now incorporate into your everyday life to help keep
you safe?
3. Open my website at www.geocities.com/spaces 2001 to learn more about S.P.A.C.E.S., sign the guest
book and let me know about your interest in choosing S.P.A.C.E.S.
Find three websites that discuss domestic/dating violence. Send away for the free information that
they often offer. Share this with your troop/friends.
Follow the newspapers for one week, cutting out any articles that have to do with domestic/dating
violence. Create a scrapbook and share it with your troop/friends.
Service Project
Obtain a Wish List from a domestic abuse shelter. Organize a donation drive to fill their needs.
2. Organize a workshop to discuss domestic/dating violence issues. Include speakers from shelters or
legal protection agencies.
3. Find out how you can volunteer either directly or indirectly with a domestic abuse shelter.
4. Invite speakers to your troop who are involved with domestic abuse services: shelter personnel,
religious leaders, police officers, counselors, First Response Team volunteers or survivors.
Create 9-l-l bags, first aid kits or Welcome Bags for a local shelter or First Response Team.
Career Exploration
Research three different careers, which are involved in assisting victims of domestic abuse. How do
they help to protect the victim?
Invite a professional to speak at your troop meeting who works with domestic/dating violence
victims.
Visit a police station to learn what the officers do to assist victims of domestic/dating violence. What
departments have special service teams to assist the victims? Observe the First Response Team in action, if the police station has one available.
Volunteers are very important in helping shelters provide support to the victims. Explore what roles
volunteers play in the running of the shelter. Explore the role of the volunteer coordinator hired by shelters.
Find out about the different types of domestic/dating abuse shelters that exist. Who do they service?
