National Organization for Victim Advocacy NOVA partnering with NCMEC

This is a guest blog Q&A with Callie Stewart, LMSW -Senior Director of Development & Outreach at National Organization for Victim Advocacy NOVA

NOVA is the nation’s oldest and leading advocate for victims of crime and crisis. Founded in 1975, we have a rich history of supporting victim assistance professionals, educating the public, and advancing public policy to protect victims’ rights. Our commitment to compassionate, evidence-based advocacy remains steadfast as we empower the next generation of leaders in this critical field.

1. How did you first hear about NCMEC??I was introduced to NCMEC when I first started my career at NOVA and we began collaborating on a number of upcoming trainings. We have since worked together consistently and I have seen the impact of NCMEC’s work throughout a number of fields in government, corporate and non-profit sectors. ?
2. What inspired you to get involved with NCMEC as a national mission partner. ??NCMEC is the leading expert in the field on missing and exploited children. Many of NOVA’s members utilize NCMEC resources in their critical work supporting victims of crime and their families. I strongly believe that through collaboration we can have a greater impact.?
3. Why is it important for your organization to have access to NCMEC's resources? ?As a membership-led organization, we want to provide our members and partners with the very best content available on all topics of victim assistance. We are proud to support a vast community of individuals with varying areas of focus in victim advocacy and crisis response. This means that while we develop much of our own trauma-informed content, we also need to act as a clearinghouse of resources because one organization can’t be everything. We do this by building partnerships with subject matter experts, such as NCMEC.
4. What are your biggest hopes for what this partnership can achieve for both of our organizations? ?I think that NOVA and NCMEC together can better support the professionals and the survivors they serve through partnership. By combining our strengths and resources, we can create advanced tools and training that will push the field forward. Throughout its history, NOVA has always seen the value in partnership. No organization can do it alone.
5. Are there any particular initiatives you think everyone should know about? ?NCMEC and NOVA are partnering on the 3rd Annual Child and Family Advocacy Academy (CFAA) which is scheduled for this winter. This 18-hour advanced online training is designed to provide evidence-based best practices, enhance-based best practices, enhance valuable skills and share prevention models and systems-based approaches for professionals working with child and adolescent victims of crime and their families. It is a great example of our partnership in practice!
6. What do you think is important for parents and families to know about your organization? NOVA’s mission is to champion dignity and compassion for those harmed by crime and crisis. We do this by providing resources and support for those that help victims/survivors and their families so they can do their best work.?Guided by our Pillars of Advocacy (Knowledge, Compassion, Integrity, Empowerment, Collaboration and Respect), we advance the field of victim services through professional standards and ethics so advocates can be better equipped with the tools they need and recognized for the critical work they do. ?
7. Is there anything else you'd like to share about your organization or this partnership? NOVA is celebrating its 50th Anniversary! We are thankful to our members, partners and the leaders before us that helped advance the field of victim advocacy. In this spirit of recognition and thanks, NOVA has launched its 50 for 50 Campaign, where we are giving 50 need-based training scholarships to victim advocates and crisis responders to become #50FutureAdvocates (including 5 for the CFAA!). Through this program, we aim to create new pathways for aspiring victim assistance professionals and survivor-advocates by removing financial barriers to accessing skill-based trainings. ?Learn more about the #50for50 Campaign here.