17th Annual A Walk in Their Shoes – Domestic Violence Education and Awareness Event

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Roanoke Valley Violence Prevention Council, a standing committee of the Council of Community Services, will be holding its annual Walk In Their Shoes event on Thursday, October 3, 2024.  This year, in addition to the remembrance ceremony, there will be educational sessions in the morning and afternoon.  These sessions will be of special interest to students studying or interested in healthcare, forensic science, social work, law enforcement, or legal fields.

The event begins at 10:00 am with a presentation on the Trauma Informed Psychodramatic Approach to counseling victims of domestic violence and will be followed by breakout sessions, which will include a demonstration of the psychodramatic technique and a presentation on how violence can invade intimacy.

The remembrance ceremony, honoring those who lost their lives as a result of domestic violence, takes place at 12:15 and is followed by a walk around the campus and lunch.

At 2:00, there will be a presentation via Zoom by the V.O.I.C.E.S Leadership Council (Victim/Survivor Opportunities to Impact Change by Elevating our Stories), which is part of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.  The presentation will include a survivor telling their story.

The event will be held at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, 4 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, Virginia.

The event is free and open to the public; free parking is available in the adjacent parking garage.