Our Training Philosophy

Chrysalis Network (CN) respects the knowledge and perspective of every participant and works to create a learning environment that honors their experiences and varying learning styles. Through interactive activities, participants will have the opportunity to fully engage themselves in learning. CN believes that the eradication of sexual and dating violence cannot occur without the elimination of all forms of oppression including sexism, heterosexism, racism, and classism. CN’s work stems from this foundation and will be incorporated into all workshops and trainings.

All sessions are interactive and created within an intersectional framework. In other words, through activities, videos, and/or examples, the presenters will include the experiences of traditionally marginalized communities including LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and those with physical and intellectual disabilities.

High School & College Workshops

The following is a sampling of our most popular workshops. Don’t see what you are looking for? We are happy to create a workshop that suits your specific needs.

Building Healthy Friendships
Making new friends can be difficult, especially for new high school or college students. This session will address characteristics of healthy friendships, provide research data on the importance of teen friendships, and discuss how to nurture these healthy relationships to last. All participants will create their own friendship map.

Dating 1.0
This session will focus on helping participants to identify relationships they admire, while discussing the characteristics of healthy dating including equality and respect. Participants will also discuss relationships in the digital age and define jealousy, passion, and control in a dating context.

Dating 2.0
The focus of this session is on healthy and unhealthy dating behaviors. Participants will discuss signs of both types of relationships and address the importance of boundaries and communication, review the intimacy and dating spectrum, and have an open forum for dating Q&A.

Consent: There Are No Blurred Lines
We easily ask for or give consent to a variety of things every day; yet when it comes to sex, there is a common narrative of confusion. This interactive workshop will explore the often-conflicting messages we receive around sex and consent, including from family, the media, and pop culture. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of when consent is and is not given and about consent laws in your area.

Perpetrator 101 & Bystander Tips
The average age a perpetrator commits their first sexual assault is 13 so when they get to high school, they have likely already committed at least one assault. Interrupting sexist and oppressive comments and behaviors as young as possible is crucial to preventing sexual violence, however knowing how, when, and what to say can be very difficult. This workshop will discuss recent data and trends around perpetrator behavior and risk factors for perpetration. Understanding this background creates a solid foundation for interrupting potentially harmful comments, jokes, and behaviors, with research-based actions.

Dating Violence 101
Dating in the digital age provides new opportunities for abuse and stalking. Through video, activities, and discussion, this session prepares students to identify potentially harmful “red flag” behaviors to include verbal, physical and sexual abuse in dating, as well as online harassment. Additionally, participants will learn common responses and behaviors of those experiencing dating abuse, helping them to identify relationships of concern that may need intervention.

Responding to Disclosures of Interpersonal Violence
This session provides a skills-based intensive training on trauma-informed response to disclosures of sexual assault and dating/domestic violence. Through videos, role plays, personal assessment, and discussion, participants will leave with a toolbox of skills, ready and more confident to respond to a disclosure. Confidentiality and school/university policies and protocols will also be addressed.

Recognizing Graduate Students as Key Partners in Campus Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Efforts
When it comes to sexual violence prevention and response, graduate students can serve as role models to undergraduates, and partners with campus employees. This interactive workshop will build upon their vital role in the community, empowering them with skills to be effective active bystanders and activists against sexual violence, while also equipping them with skills to be compassionate and informed friends and colleagues to survivors.

Culture Change: A Story of Survival, Healing, & Action
Through a multi-media presentation, Juliette Grimmett will share her story of surviving rape as a first-year college student at Skidmore College in NY. She will discuss the importance of friendships and family on her healing process, and how her journey led to her career as an activist and educator. This presentation is intended to: put a face on sexual violence, bring visibility to survivors, increase empathy for survivors and decrease victim-blaming, as well as to create space for participants to explore their questions around consent. Juliette and her story have been featured nationally including on the Steve Harvey Show and in MORE Magazine.

MY MASCULINITY HELPS: Documentary Screening and Q&A with filmmaker, Dr. Marc A. Grimmett
With funding from the US Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, this 34-minute documentary film explores the role of men and boys in the prevention of sexual violence. It shows male allies (psychologist, professor, peer educator, attorney, pastor, athlete, high-school students, activist) demonstrating understanding and support for survivors of sexual violence. Strategies for assistance and prevention will be provided.

Additional Offerings

Sexual Violence Prevention and Response: The Vital Role of Faculty & Staff
Faculty and staff make up a significant part of the school community. As such, they serve as key role models and resources of support for both students and colleagues. This interactive training will build upon these relationships, focusing on the positive impact that faculty and staff can have in creating a culture that actively interrupts sexist language and behaviors, while also learning skills to be effective pillars of support for survivors of sexual violence. Topics addressed in this training include prevention 101, being an active bystander, and trauma-informed response.

It Starts At Home: The Vital Role of Parents/Caregivers in Preventing Sexual & Dating Violence
1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys under the age of 18 will experience sexual abuse. The CDC asserts that most factors that protect against perpetrating such abuse include experiences a child faces at home. Specifically, parental use of reasoning to resolve conflict, emotional health and connectedness, and empathy and concern for how one’s actions affect others. This interactive workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and skills to address these issues, specifically as they relate to consent and relationships. Unhealthy dating behaviors, signs of such relationships, and how to help their loved ones in these situations will also be addressed. 

PACKAGES & RATES

Chrysalis Network respects the knowledge and perspective of each client and strives to build a working relationship that honors your experiences, expertise, and needs. We are committed to providing customized programs and services that will also fit your budget. If you need a workshop that you do not see listed, we will create one for you. Discounts are happily offered when you book 3 or more services during the same calendar year.