I have taken a couple of trainings with Connect dealing with domestic violence. They have all been a great experience. The staff at Connect have a wealth of experience to share in they're session. It's really a great program and I have recommended it to many people. To Q and his staff, keep up the good work.
Donna Downes
I happened to come across CONNECT through an event on teen dating violence. There I met the co-director Sally and she was such an amazing spirit upon first conversation.
The work CONNECT does for all types of people (including men) regarding issues of violence is truly remarkable.
One of the best aspects of CONNECT is that they do not keep to themselves. They reach out and make connections and relationships with other organizations to help foster this incredible work. And truly how can one be successful in this field without making connections with others.
When it comes to domestic violence, this organization is not only a pioneer, but a game changer.
This organization is inovative, and a leader in training providers about the issue of domestic violence. The staff focus on individual and community changes necessary to combat the issue on a broader scale. Poet'sCorner
I have worked in the field of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault for over 25 years, in and out of many NYC hospitals, homeless shelters, and battered women's programs and CONNECT has been one of my most treasured training sources. They have always offered trainings I have seen before but that are extremely important to my work, like one addressing Vicarious Trauma and one on Adults Survivors of Incest and Sexual Abuse. Their trainers are the TOP of the line and loaded with a variety of cutting edge information and experienced trainers. The impact that CONNECT has made on my life can be measured by the amount of times I find myself referring consumer, professional, and community partners to them for training and services. I must say CONNECT is one program that I would and have come back to without reservation.
As a Pastor in the South Bronx , I was seeking help for those in the community effected by domestic
violence , and not knowing much about Domestic Violence , I was invited to Connect by a friend of mine
from the interfaith org. .. I was amazed to find many helpful tools to share with community and to help myself grow , I would recommend Connect to anyone who want to be effective towards helping others
in domestic Violence and other issues , Excellent program ,,, Excellent people ,,,
Rev. Riddle
I have been blessed by Connect. By attending Connect curses I have been kowlegeable on how to assess domestic violence and how to help the families. Connect is a great place to grow up professionaly and personaly. Connect is the best place to learn strategies to help our families to succed in life. I appreciate all the services they provide to help us as professionals to provide successful services to our clients.
CONNECT cares about the community and wants to make positive change in the world. Amazing organization.
I first learned about CONNECT when I took a course last year as a divinity student at Union Theological Seminary called "Responding to Domestic Violence in Communities of Faith." By the end of the semester I was convinced I needed to work with CONNECT because I began to see that discussions around domestic violence were largely absent from the Christian faith community. Through this class I came to realize that the church is in a unique position to address intimate violence and that clergy and lay leaders need to learn how to respond to both survivors and abusers and recognize the ways in which certain theologies perpetuate intimate violence. I thank Sally and Q, CONNECT’S Co-Executive Directors, for teaching this course with insight, care, and understanding.
CONNECT provides an amazing source of support and strength to faith communities by working with them to develop their own response to intimate violence. They provide customized training for faith groups, advice on changing theologies (beliefs and practices) that lead to abuse, and assistance in developing religious programs and policies.
I began interning with CONNECT in September of this year and I have participated in CONNECT’S Child Abuse Training, Domestic Violence Essentials, Vicarious Trauma, and Women’s Empowerment. As a Baptist Minister these trainings have been invaluable and I feel well-prepared to work with local churches next semester and the years to come to help them address intimate violence in their communities. I am so grateful that CONNECT continues to bring awareness to the causes of intimate violence, provides support to individuals impacted by intimate violence, and advocates to change policies that affect both survivors and perpetrators of intimate violence. The work they are doing is critical.
Project Connect has helped me both professionaly and personaly . I was working as a foster Care Worker , who through the seminars given by Project Connect learned the effect that Domestic Violence has on the family .The knowledge I obtained helped me in my work with my clients . But little did I realized at the time that I had also witness Domestic Violence as a child . Project Connect helped me help a ex co worker , who was involved in a relationship that as an elder was being held hostage . Therefore I consider their work as having ramifications in the relationship between adults , straight or gay . adults or adolescents , to stop the culture of violence ,expressed in families as in the community as a whole ..
CONNECT INC. is a vital source of strength and support for the community. Through the years, CONNECT INC. has consistently provided training, support and aided in bringing awareness to the root causes of societal ills such as domestic violence, gender bias, why men batter, provided legal assistance and other important services including training service providers. I've had the honor of participating in CONNECT's Survivor of Domestic Violence Panel and have been inspired by the many connections made through networking. CONNECT "feeds" the community and helps create a new attitude towards the disenfranchised. As a survivor of domestic violence and an advocate and community organizer, I'm proud to be connected to CONNECT INC.!
I attend CONNECT's monthly interfaith roundatables, which promote discussion on how faith communities can engage with issues related to the body, violence, and gender. These dialogues, which I look forward to weekly, are both accessible and challenging. I am a Director with Reveal NYC, an organization that works with female survivors of domestic violence, and CONNECT has so helpfully provided a broader intellectual framework for the way that we work with our women. CONNECT doesn't just serve the DV population, but also supports and resources an existing network of DV organizations. We are so grateful for them.
I believe CONNECT sets the standard in so many ways for professional and dedicated, compassionate leadership in the field of all forms of interpersonal violence, especially the myriad realities of violence against women. Each program I have attended, supported, and known about presented by CONNECT has provided hope in difficult social and criminal aspects of our city, nation, and world. Every staff member brings dedicated, envisioning, creative, hardworking and transformative responses in their approaches to advocate, educate, and change relationships and situations into hopeful awareness, response and change. I commend you for including them on a list of stellar non-profit organizations and offer my heartfelt gratitude to each of them. They do this work because they care! I have come alongside many instances of appropriate response in the past two years to hearts crying out to be heard, allowed voice, approaches towards safety and empowered in non-violent, peaceful living without exception. They have helped launch our series on non-violent living in the Episcopal Diocese of New York this year. the Rev. Dr. Sally MacNichol and Mr. Quentin Walcott as co-executive directors bring a sense of faith, hope and joy to this work despite the seriousness of it. They truly deserve every available opportunity to be of service in our communities. Faithfully, Dr. Victoria J. Rollins, Rise Again Ministries and task force facilitator L.O.V.E. (Liberate ourselves, value everyone)
I've worked with many different DV organizations (both large and small), and CONNECT is by far one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Their focus on primary prevention is unparalleled in the city and so important to the overall movement to end domestic violence. Their Legal Advocacy Program incorporates as much of a prevention orientation as it can in the direct provision of services to survivors who need those services. The staff at CONNECT are great, and the impact that CONNECT has on New York City is incredibly impressive given its small size and limited resources. I will always be proud to say that I worked with CONNECT!
Our organization, the Westchester Square Partnership, has benefited tremendously from our relationship with CONNECT. Anindita Bhaumik has been helping us since the very beginning, providing advice, helping us make connections with other organizations and members of government, and explaining the lay of the land. She has also provided informative, relevant, and highly popular workshop series to our Bangladeshi constituents. A big thank you to Anindita and CONNECT!!!
I became aware of this organization from a workshop they provided at my church addressing Domestic Violence in 2010. Sally MacNichols was so informative that it lead me to attend classes at Connect that addressed understanding domestic violence. The topic of domestic violence has become an important issue of my Pastor and has lead him to want to establish a ministry in our church to assist in informing our community. Connect has been working closely with us in providing training, guidance and information. In 2012 the Ministry "Judges 19" was established, with the help of Sally MacNichol and Quentin Walcott. They have met with group and provided valuable suggestions on what direction we should go. They have graciously agreed to assist us with any necessary training and information we need to be aware of, as well as direct us to various agencies that can assist us as well. Connect, Inc has a wonderful and knowledgeable staff that provides classes that deeply addresses the perils of domestic violence. It is a pleasure working with them.
I have been involved with CONNECT for the past ten years. I attended various workshops on Batterers Intervention, Women's Circle, Vicarious Trauma, the Theological Roundtable just to name a few. The staff at Connect are very caring and knowledgable. They are about showing PEACE to the community and elimanating intimate partner violence. They also work with children who have witnessed Domestic Violence. They offer legal and supportive services to Domestic Violence victims. I enjoy coming to Connect for educational and emotional support. The staff at Connect is awesome. I nominate Connect for the highest award that you are presenting. Their work is phenomenal.
I would like to nominate CONNECT, over the past few years I have had the privilege of attend a few of the wonderful training courses that they offer. I walked away feeling confident knowing that i had received proper training in the areas of working with survivors of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault. And if that wasn't enough, the inner-faith perspective of this Organization really reaches across the board of race, religion,sex and creed to break down the barriers and ignorance that perpetuate violence. I thank the wonder staff and facilitators for the work exceptional work that they do help prevent and eliminate family and gender violence.
CONNECT is amazing! I became acquainted with the organization through their DV 101 course. I am not one to be easily impressed, so it is a big deal for me that I have not only been impressed but continue to admire the work that CONNECT does. CONNECT produces relevant materials and trainings for the general public as well as helps families heal and get better connected to their humanity. I look forward to seeing them grow into a model that will one day be replicated across the nation.
My first course at CONNECT: Understanding Domestic Violence helped me gained a deeper understanding and to acquired essential knowledge on the issue of Domestic Violence to be able to make appropriate interventions.
I learned that Battering is a Choice and that the victims are usually women and children however empathy towards the batterers is very important when addressing Domestic Violence.
Trainers are passionate about the work they do toward the prevention of Domestic Violence and the courses that are offered at CONNECT are full of essential information on the issue. In a simple language they convey their knowledge about Domestic Violence and that it is an issue that concerns all of us as it is prevalent in every community.
Maria Lozano
CONNECT, Inc. is one of the most superb non-profits in the NYC area. Their dedication, commitment and emotion for the prevention of gender violence is out of this world. The staff are all great advocates and will work through any intracacies so that any issues are addressed. The organization as a whole is very well thought out and constantly finds and implements new ways to improve their services to the community. I highly recommend CONNECT's services and I guaruntee that anyone would leave feeling pleased with the services provided.
I have been affliated with connect fo iver 10 years. Each time hat i attend a workshop it is more intriging then the next. The staf is very professional, with a warm spirit. Each staff remembers who i am no matter how many years are in between the last time i was there. They are a support network for me. No matter how many tomes i call, someone will always get back to me and with an answer or some resources. Connect has been a strong influence on the work that i do with my clients. There teaching has also impacted the my education in issues related to domestic violence
CONNECT has been a leader in advocacy around ending violence against women in our communities. Their staff is exceptional - dedicated, smart, talented, brave and innovative. Their programs have led the way for other organizations. They provide the highest quality of service to individuals in need and to the organizations they train and support.
When women were being killed by ex-boyfriends/husbands in great numbers in the summer of 2005, CONNECT held a moving press conference on the steps of city hall attended by over a hundred advocates. When a child welfare worker has a case involving domestic violence, they know what to do because of the training provided by CONNECT and the policy advocacy done by the agency that put proceedures in place to handle these cases.
They have done pioneering work around the response to domestic violence in the faith based community.
CONNECT training staff has been providing monthly Domestic Violence training, on site consultation, and as needed phone consultation, to Family Services for Deaf Children and Adults(New York Foundling), since 2007. The training is a creative mix of factual information, use of video clips, and case examples that allows each person at the training an opportunity to connect to the material and enter the discussion. The traiing is consistently excellent, and I would recommend it without heisitation. Tony Christopher Director Deaf Services New York Foundling
I first became familiar with CONNECT in 2005 as an instructor for the Cornell University Family Development Training and Credentialing Program. This course is designed to empower staff to work in more empowering ways with families. I continue to deliver the training, under the sponsorship of the NYC Administration for Children's Services Head Start Training Institute, to Head Start staff / front-line workers from all boroughs. These workers often are called upon to provide support and resources to families where domestic violence and other specialized services are needed. One of the students in the class was a Latino male, Marlon Walker, who, at the time, volunteered for CONNECT and has since has become a valued staff member for the organization. I was impressed and inspired by his passion for CONNECT and the work it was doing to provide domestic violence services in NYC. The fact that he was a Latino male engaged in this work was particularly striking to me since I had rarely met males in this field before. As part of my background, I have been a victim of and victor over domestic violence. My sensitivity to the subject increased during my four-decade career working with Head Start staff and families and when faced with the issue of domestic violence within my extended family. Curious following Marlon's presentation to our class related to the comprehensive services CONNECT provides, I began attending their training programs and collaborated with CONNECT to avail their services to the broader NYC Head Start community and with the NYC agency providing child protective services. CONNECT also provided excellent workshops at conferences sponsored by the Family Development Association of New York State and NYC Region. I found all their training programs extremely informative, interactive, if not actually transformational. They also embraced family development principles. Those addressing male involvement were of particular importance since that was a prominent subject within the Head Start community. Participants came from diverse community and government based programs. Their training and otherwise related events were delivered by knowledgeable in-house staff and experts in the field. Of particular note are the comprehensive and varied services it provides from preventing bullying to engaging men in the fight against domestic and family violence. It is an honor to be an advocate for CONNECT and promote its service within the Head Start and family development communities of NYC and New York State. It is a quality organization from its leadership to the pursuit of its mission.
CONNECT is an invaluable resource to victims of violence and to professionals and communities who serve and support them. More funding should be granted to help CONNECT continue to provide support and counsel to victims of violence and to increase capacity to professionals who come into contact with victims of violence and to grow awareness and advocacy among community members to address this chronic problem and underserved population. It is extremely disappointing that ACS has withdrawn services to CONNECT for their wonderful FVPP program, as my staff have benefitted so much from the trainings offered and looked forward to more...
I was contacted by Connect because I am an artist who does work with womens issues, but I didn't know much about domestic violence in particular, so I took one course at Connect to learn about it. I have never had a better, more interesting, more well conducted course than that which opened my eyes on women and my personal story so much, so after that I took 2 more training courses at Connect, and realized that this subject should be taught in schools all over. Each woman thinks it's just her, her personality and seeing the whole picture it really transforms you. Awareness opens one's eyes and mind (and heart) and we all need that so badly! Perhaps Connect should be called "Women Awareness Center" because it's much more than what it seems (domestic violence prevention center)! I love this center and they have so much to teach! I particularly admired the trainers: I have never see seminars conducted in such a marvelleus way! I am from Italy, excuse my spelling mistakes :)
I have been familar with CONNECT for over 5 years, and have the highest regard for them as an organization as a whole and for the staff members individually. I built a relationship with the executive director, Ms. Kala Ganesh, and others, such as Sally MacNichol and Quentin walcott, who exemplify making a difference to individuals and the community around the topic of abuse and violence. They spearhead the annual Bride's march in the Bronx; offer trainings and workshops on all areas of domestic violence and the devasting impact this abuse has on women, children and families, and the community as a whole. For my particular project here at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, they presented statistics as well as the individual psycho-social stressors and the structural issues contributing to violence to teens who are researching various health disparities using a Community approach, including violence and injury. The staff has engaged and challenged these youths from the Bronx community to effect change and seek ways to prevent violence. CONNECT has made a committment to provide whatever information and resources they have to our teens about violence. As well, they conduct an outstanding annual sexual harassment in the workplace training with our teens and staff. CONNECT's staff's relatability to teens in their style of communication, and listening is noted. Their ability to reframe the teens' often reported observations that "domestic violence and abuse is normal and part of a any relationship". These comments are largely based on what they see in their home, with their peers, and within the community & the media has made a significant impact in the teens' awareness. The staff of connect, from the executive director down, are very hands on and sensitive, caring, strong, and nurturing. I have made several referrals to CONNECT and appreciate their expansion into schools and other CBO's and FBO's. This expansion has created an increase in CONNECT's visibility of their resources and services, and their ability to address relevant topics, including men who are battered, sexual harrassment in the work place, cultural competency around differing nationalities and norms, same sex relationship abuse, bullying in schools, and non-violent forms of abuse. CONNECT's forward thinking approach has been critical with the issues involved with sexting & cell phone stalking which has become a growing concern for many teens, and these teens, as well as many of the adults in their lives, lack the awareness to fully understand the damaging consequences of this form of abuse. A major strength I experience with CONNECT is that the satffing is NOT comprised of just caucasion women, but the satff members mirror the true diverstiy of men, women, straight, LGBTQ, black, white, latino and Asian in NYC. I highly commend them for their continuous and unwavering dedication toward ending violence.
CONNECT is involved in the education and prevention of gender violence. Through community education and collaboration, CONNECT's Supervising Attorney and advocates advise victims/survivors of domestic violence. For several years CONNECT has participated in at least three domestic violence collaboration groups. The supervising attorney represents immigrant survivors at USCIS/immigration proceedings. The hotline gives advice and referrals for legal and social services. CONNECT also has a dynamic training institute. The organization thinks outside the box and is committed to eradicating gender violence and violence toward children.