One of the key functions of a faith community is to provide support to its members. For immigrants, faith communities can be safe havens where they can find support and belonging in a new city. Many turn to their faith leaders for help in times of crisis – like domestic violence.
The Immigrant Faith Leaders’ Summit
In May 2023, the Immigrant Faith Leaders’ Summit was hosted by a working group of Shared Safety led by AFAHO and SEAMAAC. The summit was a platform to educate faith leaders in immigrant communities about domestic violence dynamics and how to respond. Now, resources from Summit are available online for any community. These resources include videos and a screening guide for discussion. Sharing these resources allows more people to access the information.
Why Faith Communities Should Use These Resources
- Raise Awareness: Domestic violence is often a hidden and dismissed issue. These resources can educate faith leaders so they can use their power to shine a light on it. By talking about it in service and making it clear that people can get support if/when they need it, faith communities can raise awareness within their spaces.
- Provide Support: Faith communities can help people affected by domestic violence feel better emotionally and spiritually. With these resources, faith communities can also connect people to important services that help their mental and physical selves.
- Educate Congregants: Domestic violence can happen to anyone. Many don’t know what it looks like, how to get help, or what help looks like. The videos and guides can help faith communities show others how to help someone.
- Promote Healing: Faith communities are where people go to feel better. Getting better after abuse is hard and takes time. These resources can help faith communities be prepared to help survivors heal.
- Take a Stand: Faith leaders have strong voices in their communities. Saying no to domestic violence shows everyone it is never okay.
Domestic violence is a difficult topic, and many people feel uncomfortable talking about it. These resources can empower faith communities to support people through tough, potentially deadly times.
Take a Stand for Your Community
- Visit the Shared Safety website or the City of Philadelphia Youtube to view all the videos and resources from the Summit. Videos have captions available in English, French, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Indonesian.
- Use this screening guide to start conversations in your community. The screening guide shares discussion questions and resources for each of the videos. The screening guide is available in English, French, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Indonesian.
- Learn more about Shared Safety! Sign up for the Shared Safety newsletter.
