Northwest Missouri State University’s Wellness Services is continuing its work this fall to train the University community on violence prevention methods with a new approach that focuses on dialogue to prevent uncomfortable situations.

The new approach, Engage, is encompassing of a wider variety of violence prevention scenarios that students may face, including alcohol and substance use, discrimination and mental health. The Engage program focuses on people’s comfortability and safety when responding to various levels of situations.

“It’s being more realistic with the conversations that they’re having and what intervening might look like for different people based on your own experiences or your own comfort or safety level,” Northwest Wellness Educator Shelby Letuli said. “It really goes through all of those different factors that may affect why you would or wouldn’t say something or act in different ways regarding those areas.”

The change is the result of state organizations adopting the Engage model. State institutions previously aligned their violence prevention training with the Green Dot program, a sexual assault and domestic violence prevention program adopted by Northwest in 2015. Green Dot was funded by the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services and Partners in Prevention.

Wellness Services is offering five training sessions this fall that are open to all students and employees to learn about the Engage model. The fall training schedule is:

• 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, in the Student Union Boardroom
• 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, in the Student Union Tower View Room
• 5 to 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the Student Union Boardroom
• 7 to 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, in the Student Union Tower View Room
• 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, in the Student Union Boardroom

Students and employees interested in Engage program training should register by clicking this link. For more information, contact Letuli at 660.562.1060 or sletuli@nwmissouri.edu.