Community Education at Quigley House is all about awareness and teaching as many people as possible how they can be a part of the solution to making every home in Clay County a safe place by ending domestic violence and sexual assault.  Every citizen has a responsibility to stand up for safety in every home, and can be taught what to do to help.

Domestic violence and sexual assault affect people from all walks of life, rich and poor, of all ages, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, regardless of educational level or place in society. Domestic abuse does not discriminate.  We know also, that where domestic abuse is occurring between adult partners, that abuse is also happening to the children in that home 60-70 % of the time.  Family pets are also often victims of abuse.  One in every 4 women is abused or assaulted in some way during her lifetime. Boys and men are also victims, as well as same-sex partners. In addition to children, seniors and disabled individuals are particularly vulnerable to domestic abuse in one form or another. Domestic abuse is not about anger management or substance abuse.  It is about holding power and control over another human being, to that human being's detriment or death.  Human trafficking is also a hideous and rampantly growing form of human slavery that affects untold numbers in our country alone.

That anyone in our community is being abused is a crime.  But abuse of this nature often goes unnoticed by others, and is the most under-reported crime in the world. Right now, there are people you know who are being abused, and you don't even know it; it remains a terrible secret.  As concerned citizens of our community, the best thing we can do is to open the doors of communication with everyone we know, starting in our own homes and reaching out to extended family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  Education and prevention programs are the key to ending and preventing future domestic abuse and sexual assaults.  You can make a difference.

The Community Education Program at Quigley House aims to educate as many people as possible about the prevalence, dynamics, interventions, and preventions for domestic and sexual violence.

Our well-trained staff and volunteers can come to you and provide the information you need to remain safe, become safe, or help someone you know get the help they need.  We will gladly come to your place of business or practice, church, civic organization, or school to educate you and your group at whatever level is needed.  We can provide all of the following, tailored to suit the time available, and the ages and needs of those you work with, serve, and care about.  For a complete list of educational opportunities available to you, see below:

° Presentations about domestic violence and/or sexual assault and the services provided by Quigley House (15 minutes to 1 hour or more).

° Comprehensive professional training (2 or more hours) for medical, legal, or other professionals (how to recognize, assess, and respond to abuse).

° Training for business owners about how to prevent domestic or sexual violence from entering your workplace (it happens more often than you might think) and how to develop policies and procedures for keeping all of your employees and customers safe.

° Educating public health or social service agency staff and volunteers about encountering clients with abuse and how to provide intervention and prevention.

° School-wide or individual classroom abuse education or prevention programs for educators and students at any level from elementary to post-graduate.

° Education for any other children's or teen's group on how to recognize abuse and how to get help.

° Education for faith-based organizations about what you can do to help stop abuse in the community and how to offer safety for those already being abused.

° Professional training to become a victim advocate certified through the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV) and/or the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence (FCASV).

° Information booths at employee health fairs and other community events.

° Career and volunteer fairs.

° Referral and resource information.

° Teaching and empowering men, women, teens, and children to develop more healthy, loving relationships that nurture, heal, and foster respect and equality in those relationships, encouraging personal growth and empowerment.

Most importantly, domestic and sexual abuse are not "someone else's problem", nor "a family matter" from which others should "stay out" or turn away.  To look the other way says to criminals that hurting and murdering others is acceptable, and that no one cares about their victims.  Domestic and sexual abuse affects our whole community, not just individuals.  It affects businesses in lost work time, healthcare and insurance in increasing injuries and medical costs, judicial and law enforcement systems in crime-related interventions and taxpayer's dollars spent defending abusers, schools with students who are too traumatized to learn, and of course, costs far too many innocent lives, even if they are still living those lives.  It takes the whole community to make it stop. Will you be part of the problem or part of the solution?

To schedule an appointment for a speaker to come to your organization, contact the Education Director Tina Neas by sending an email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling (904) 579-3247.  We will be glad to serve you!