We Deserve Better Project
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wdbproject.bsky.social
We Deserve Better Project
@wdbproject.bsky.social
26 followers 3 following 37 posts
We are a group of anti-violence workers who are committed to creating better working conditions that mutually benefit survivors and advocates.
https://bio.link/wdbproject
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wdbproject.bsky.social
December 30, 2025 at 5:23 PM
wdbproject.bsky.social
December 16, 2025 at 8:25 PM
wdbproject.bsky.social
Community Collaboration: While 29% of advocates cited “collaboration between domestic and sexual violence organizations” as something that would make them more likely to stay at their job, some also uplifted the need to work more deeply with a multitude of community-based organizations. “[We need to] work with other organizations to teach life skills, environmentalism, financial literacy, cooking, home maintenance and non-violence. It takes a village! So many of our clients have a multitude of challenges and little education or social support. We need the whole community to be invested in the success of the population we serve!" - Advocate from Louisiana About the Assessment: We asked advocates to complete an anonymous assessment between the end of November 2022 and the middle of January 2023. Our goal was to learn more about the experiences of current and former anti-violence workers. We received 265 responses from advocates across 33 US states and territories. Map of United States with states and territories colored in. We defined "advocate" as anyone who currently or had recently worked at victim service agencies. Learn more at wedeservebetter.work/assessment
November 19, 2025 at 10:14 PM
wdbproject.bsky.social
October 6, 2025 at 5:42 PM
wdbproject.bsky.social
Advocates deserve better. Survivors deserve better. Our movement deserves better.
Slide 5: Where is the accountability? 60% of advocates tried to hold leadership accountable by using the following strategies: Open communication & feedback; Asking for help from supervisor, HR representative or Board of Directors; Collective group efforts, including writing anonymous letters to leadership & engaging in unionizing efforts. “We are taught to advocate for our clients but when it comes to us… the rules seem to become unclear regarding how to stay safe while doing our jobs.” - Advocate from Kentucky Slide 6: Retaliation is a Serious Fear: The top two reasons anti-violence workers chose not to share concerns with leadership: Fear of retaliation; Thought it would be unproductive or ignored. "[We have talked] with our executive director about the lack of leadership from management. However, it seems that this leader finds out about what is said and there is retaliation." - Advocate from Wisconsin. Nearly half (48%) of all discrimination claims filed with the EEOC included an accusation of retaliation. In 2024, charges alleging retaliation were the most prevalent filings for the seventeenth consecutive year. Slide 7: Why Are Advocates Leaving? Nearly half of advocates reported the following challenges or reasons they left their jobs: 49% cited “resistance to addressing internal conflict”; 48% cited “ineffective management”’ 47% cited “lack of transparency from organizational leadership and boards of directors”. "They are creating harm and victimizing their own employees in the name of helping victims. They're creating more harm in employees' lives while trying to uphold their mission. They refuse to create internal change in a field that is all about culture change. They hire excited change makers who are given a false perspective of the job, and are then let down and blindsided." - Advocate from Pennsylvania Slide 8: We Deserve Better: “So long as our movement engages in needless power games and toxic management practices, we will be as traumatizing to one another as abusers are to their victims. We must make a collective sea-change effort to no longer tolerate this as a culture.” - Advocate from Ohio; “The movement would be transformed when leadership…begins to treat those served with respect; when leadership is mandated to invest in staff and leadership training; and when microaggressions are no longer tolerated.” - Advocate from Pennsylvania
September 25, 2025 at 8:56 PM