The DkIT RiVeR Project have been granted permission by the US based owners of the In Her Shoes® Interactive exercise toolkit (Washington State Coalition Against Violence) to adapt it to an Irish context. This will be reproduced as “In Their Shoes” and shared on a cost neutral basis to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence agencies for education and training purposes. The rationale for the adaptation request include:
- Applying an Irish contextual lens to the toolkit and adapting the current character scenarios.
- Further developing the resource to address identified gaps by including additional perspectives.
Adapting the toolkit to an Irish context and the provision of additional perspectives will not only increase the transferability and efficacy of the tool but will ensure that the tool is applicable to the remit of a wider range of service providers.
The In Her Shoes® series was developed by the Washington State Coalition Against Violence. It comprises a range of community education tools and is designed for experiential learning about domestic violence. Participants move, act, think, and make choices in the shoes of a person experiencing an abusive relationship. The characters are based on the abusive and controlling experiences of victim-survivors. Groups or individuals are given a card describing the background and current situation of a character. Different stations throughout the room contain colour-coordinated plot cards that align with each character. As participants are led to different stations, they read through scenarios their character faces and make choices about their character’s next steps. The most critical part of the activity, however, is the debrief. Discussion helps participants answer lingering questions, give the facilitator the opportunity to dispel persistent myths and misunderstandings, and helps participants engage in the way they can make change individually and locally.
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