Twenty OTC nursing students will graduate with a Practical Nursing certificate this summer. While these future nurses are prepared to heal and care for the sick, they’re also ready to raise awareness about the warning signs of relationship violence and abuse.
The nursing students recently attended an Escalation Workshop session hosted by the One Love Foundation. The powerful, 90-minute, film-based program highlights relationship-violence awareness and prevention.
“The knowledge our students gained from the Escalation Workshop will strengthen their future careers as nurses,” said Elizabeth Hetherington, OTC practical nursing instructor. “They now have the information and tools needed to spread the word about relationship-violence awareness and prevention. Plus, they’re armed with local and national resources to help those in need of support.”
The Escalation Workshop was founded in 2010 by the One Love Foundation to honor the memory of Yeardley Love, an athlete from the University of Virginia who was murdered by her estranged boyfriend. One Love works with young people across the country to raise awareness about the warning signs of abuse and encourage communities to work to change the statistics around relationship violence.
At the end of the workshop, students designed posters to display around OTC’s campuses and centers. The posters reflect major messages and themes learned in the workshop and list resources available to those in need of support.
This was the third Escalation Workshop hosted at OTC this year. Stay tuned for more information about upcoming Escalation Workshops this fall. For more information, please contact Matt Brown, assistant Title IX coordinator, at brownma@otc.edu or (417) 447-7787.