BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Health’s (NDDoH) Rape Prevention and Education Program is expanding Green Dot, a sexual violence primary prevention strategy, to the Bismarck-Mandan area. The Abused Adult Resource Center (AARC) in Bismarck will lead implementation of the program.

Green Dot seeks to engage all members of the community as bystanders who can identify behaviors that lead to harm (red dots) and respond in a way that will make it less likely the harm occurs or gets worse (green dots). It focuses on the actions everyone can take on a daily basis to set a new norm that violence is not tolerated, and everyone is expected to do their part in contributing to a safer community.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to launch new and innovative prevention efforts in Bismarck-Mandan,” said Michelle Erickson, AARC Executive Director. “We have long had a commitment to end violence in our community and this program will allow us to build on that work and expand our network of allies. We look forward to recruiting community members to join our efforts of implementing Green Dot in Bismarck-Mandan.”

AARC provides crisis intervention, advocacy and shelter to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking in Burleigh, Morton, Grant, Sioux, Emmons, Kidder and Sheridan counties. In addition to intervention services, AARC has a commitment to preventing violence in the communities it serves.

AARC will be recruiting a diverse team of community members to attend a four-day certification training in August. Green Dot is not only for crisis and violence prevention workers, it is for anyone interested in creating a safer community. If you would like to learn how you can support Green Dot efforts in Bismarck-Mandan, contact Renee Stromme at AARC at 701-222-8370.

APPLY HERE! Green Dot BisMan Individual Application

“It is exciting to have received increased funding for prevention,” said Mallory Sattler, Domestic Violence/Rape Crisis Program Coordinator with the NDDoH. “I’m grateful for the efforts of legislators and prevention advocates for acknowledging and acting on the need in our state.”

Rape and Abuse Crisis Center (Fargo), Community Violence Intervention Center (Grand Forks) and Abused Persons Outreach Center (Valley City) have been implementing Green Dot in their communities since April 2018. They have hosted several bystander trainings and are preparing for launch events and social media marketing. For more information, contact Mallory Sattler, NDDoH, at 701-328-4562.