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Watch the video trailer!
100% of donations raised in this campaign go
directly to the production of the curriculum and video training.
Background
Sexual harassment in the worksite has recently received nationwide
attention, due in part to the #Metoo and #TimesUp campaigns and a 2013
Frontline Documentary, “Rape in the Fields." There have also
been recent
large legal cases in Washington
State. Thus, policy change and training as preventative measures to
combat WSH are vital to promoting a healthy work site and to
supporting the well-being of farm workers, especially women.
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In 2013, the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health
Center (PNASH) heard and documented the importance of addressing this
issue from key stakeholders in the Yakima Valley, received funding
from the Washington State Medical Aid & Accident Fund, and
launched a 1.5 year research-to-action project to increase community
awareness about this issue. In collaboration with farm worker women,
PNASH developed prevention messages from their focus group findings.
These were incorporated into educational resources including a
radionovela, informational wallet cards, a DVD for waiting room usage,
and an educational theater production. These were all developed in
close partnership with key government, non-profit, and legal advocacy
organizations. More information about this program and the educational
resources available are on the PNASH website:
http://deohs.washington.edu/pnash/sexual_harassment
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What now?
Since then, University of Washington provided a small Royalty
Research Grant, and donors such as EFI, Sea Mar, Northwest Justice
Project, several nurseries in Oregon, and the Pacific Northwest
Agriculture, Health and Safety Center have contributed funding to
develop a video and training curriculum in English and in Spanish
using a community engaged approach for grower/supervisors and farm
workers. However, we still need additional funds to make this goal a
reality!
Although causes for sexual harassment and sexual violence are
ecological in nature and require an ecological and multi level
approach to change, there are organizational and policy level
factors we can address NOW to shift the power dynamics. Farm
worker women have been and will continue to be leading this work.
How can you help?
You, too, can contribute to this effort by helping us raise
remaining funds to produce the rest of the video segments and a
Toolkit for growers, supervisors, and farm workers. A donation of any
size will help us reach the money needed for video production ($31K)
so we can finish the video and editing by May 2019! All sponsors'
names will appear in the marketing for the training and in the closing credits.
There is a growing demand from all stakeholders in the agriculture
sector, and will need to have something in place for when a
law requiring sexual harassment prevention training in agriculture is
passed (and it will). With help from you, and many others, we will
push that policy change and training happen together.
<p>
Our Team:
Victoria Breckwich Vásquez, DrPH, MPH, MA (Principal
Investigator/ Co-Director) – Vice President of Prevention at Sea Mar
Community Health Centers. Dr. Breckwich Vásquez is a former Asst.
Professor at UW Bothell and Director of Community Engagement &
Education, at PNASH at the University of Washington Seattle. Dr.
Breckwich Vásquez has focused experience in community-based
participatory research, will oversee the development of the video as
an occupational health & safety education training tool, and will
lead efforts to engage agricultural stakeholders in development and
promotion of the training. In addition, Dr. Breckwich Vásquez is
involved with statewide advocacy efforts driving state and federal
policy changes that promote sexual harassment prevention training in
the agricultural sector. She is the co-Chair and founder of the
Washington State Coalition to Prevent Sexual Harassment in Agriculture.
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Alexandra Lewis-Lorentz, PhD, MA, MA (Producer/
Co-Director) – Dr. Lewis-Lorentz is an experienced producer,
cinematographer, writer and editor with extensive experience working
with underserved migrant worker populations in the Wenatchee, WA area.
Her company, AJL Productions LLC is focused specifically on the
production of bilingual training videos for agricultural workers since 2010.
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Jody Early, PhD, MS, MCHES (Co-Principal
Investigator). Jody Early is an Associate Professor in the School of
Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Washington Bothell and
a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). Dr. Early
leads the development and evaluation efforts relating to the work site
curriculum that accompanies the training video. Dr. Early has over 20
years of experience working in and with communities to develop,
evaluate, and direct, culturally tailored community-based health
education programs, especially for women and LatinX communities. She
has published about violence against women, CBPR, and socio-ecological
factors that impact communities and health behavior.
<p>
Elizabeth Torres, BS Elizabeth is the Lead
Facilitator and Project Coordinator, engaging stakeholders across the
state, especially farm workers and promotores in the providing
feedback that shapes the development of the video and curriculum. In
addition to her role on this project, she leads efforts at el Proyecto
Bienestar (EPB), a community based collaborative partnership based in
the Yakima Valley. EPB serves as a primary convener for this pilot
project, hosting discussions with farm workers and video advisory
group members.
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Paula Zambrano, Farmworker (Consultant) and
additional farm worker consultants from Eastern Washington (Yakima
Valley and Wenatchee).
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Video and Curriculum Advisory Committee: A
cross-sector advisory group that provides feedback on the training and
video in development. The team is comprised of representatives from
agriculture, non-profit, education, and govt. organizations (workers,
trainers, advocates, and growers); the WA Human Rights Commission;
Radio KDNA; Northwest Justice League; WA Grower's League; EEOC; LNI,
PNASH, and UW.