Deborah Rosenbloom, JD/MPA Vice-President Programs drosenbloom@jwi.org This project was supported by Grant No. 2016-CY-AX-0006 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this program are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

Two very different target communities but similar challenges

Challenges ●Male-dominated spaces ●Women’s organization ●Outsider to community ●Questions dominant narrative

●Builds relationships ●Introduces project to community Strengths & Needs Assessment ●Promotes buy-in ●Builds relationships ●Introduces project to community ●Enhances outcomes View as opportunity

Respect the culture! Assessment What is your Purpose Area? Are there other factors to assess? Plan strategically Who needs to be involved in planning and implementing? What do you need to learn and from whom? How will you find out? (methodology) Respect the culture!

Decisions Include stakeholders Goals Timetable Target Gatherers Instruments Include stakeholders

Process *Get OVW approval*! Conduct assessment Draft data instruments Analyze findings – any surprises? Revisit original project plan

Strategic Plan Analyze assessment findings Make changes to original plan Determine technical assistance needs Draft and submit to OVW Share with stakeholders

JWI’s Tips Be guided by long-term goals Make tradeoffs with intention Pay attention to the process Listen carefully Respect the community