ANKENY, Iowa — The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) will host a series of free educational and awareness-focused events across many of the college’s campuses from April 7–10 as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), the college announced Wednesday.
The NCVRW has been observed in Iowa and across the nation every April since 1981, with the goals of raising awareness of crime victims’ issues and rights and introducing community members to available resources and services in their area. The theme of this year’s NCVRW is Kinship: Connecting and Healing.
The week’s highlights at DMACC will include:
- Tuesday, April 8: Clive Police Chief Mark Rehberg and Clive Fire Chief Clay Garcia will deliver a “Conversation on Trauma” at 8:30 a.m. at the DMACC Ankeny Campus Building 5 Conference Center.
- Tuesday, April 8: Lori Jensen from Children and Families of Iowa will speak on “In Her Shoes: A Domestic Violence Simulation” at 8:15 a.m. at the DMACC Ankeny Campus Building 5 Conference Center.
- Tuesday, April 8: Emma Dedic-Sakanovic, DMACC Criminal Justice program and Iowa Fifth Judicial District Department of Corrections, will speak on “From War to Wellness: A Journey of Resilience and Transformation” at 1 p.m. in the DMACC Ankeny Campus Building 5 Conference Center. Dedic-Sakanovic will share her personal journey of surviving the war in Bosnia. This event is sponsored by DMACC’s War and the Human Experience Speaker Series.
- Tuesday, April 8: Author and Douglas County, Nebraska, Deputy Sheriff Cheyenne Hanson will speak on “Exposing Hidden Scars: Transforming Trauma into Triumph” at 11 a.m. at the DMACC West Campus. Hanson is a survivor of 14 years of domestic and sexual violence.
- Wednesday, April 9: Author and Douglas County, Nebraska, Deputy Sheriff Cheyenne Hanson will speak on “Exposing Hidden Scars: Transforming Trauma into Triumph” at 1 p.m. at the Ankeny Campus Building 5 Conference Center and live streamed to other campuses and centers. Hanson is a survivor of 14 years of domestic and sexual violence.
- Wednesday, April 9: Dorothy’s House Executive Director Aimee McDonald and a Dorothy’s House client and human trafficking survivor and current DMACC paralegal student Myranda Aden will speak on providing a safe place for those whose lives have been interrupted by human trafficking, exploitation and prostitution at 12:15 p.m. at the DMACC Urban Campus Building 7, Room 170.
- Thursday, April 10: Author and Douglas County, Nebraska, Deputy Sheriff Cheyenne Hanson will speak on “Exposing Hidden Scars: Transforming Trauma into Triumph” at 8:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m., recorded, Perry VanKirk Career Academy. Hanson is a survivor of 14 years of domestic and sexual violence.
- Thursday, April 10: Lori Jensen from Children and Families of Iowa will speak on “In Her Shoes: A Domestic Violence Simulation” at 8:15 a.m. at the Southridge Center Criminal Justice Classroom.
- Thursday, April 10: Emma Dedic-Sakanovic, DMACC Criminal Justice program and Iowa Fifth Judicial District Department of Corrections, will speak on “From War to Wellness: A Journey of Resilience and Transformation” at 11:15 a.m. in Building 1 Room 142 on the DMACC Urban Campus. Dedic-Sakanovic will share her personal journey of surviving the war in Bosnia. This event is sponsored by DMACC’s War and the Human Experience Speaker Series.
For a complete list of activities at DMACC campuses as well as culturally specific and local victim and survivor resources, visit the DMACC National Crime Victims’ Rights Week website.
