April 27, 2007 — Helping advocates for crime victims cope with the daily stresses of their occupations will be the focus of training sessions in May offered by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
According to a release from U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Jenkins, the office will be sponsoring one-day stress management training sessions on St. Croix and in St. Thomas.
The St. Croix session will be held May 7 at the Cormorant Beach Resort, while the second session will be May 9 at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort on St. Thomas.
The training is the offspring of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. Thirty-five years ago advocates from some of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods of St. Louis, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., founded the nation's first assistance programs for crime victims.
These centers were established in communities where violence was common, and their mission was to bring help, hope, and healing to those who had suffered the effects of crime.
The reason for this conference is to assist advocates, service providers, organizations and counselors in reducing stress so that they may continue to fight for the rights of victims.
Crime not only takes a toll on victims but also on the individuals who assist daily to provide guidance and support and to aid victims physically, mentally or spiritually.
The training will be presented by the Family Service Centers Inc., and the Regional Community Policing Institute based in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Its organization's mission is to provide services that promote safe, healthy families and children through education, counseling and advocacy, as well as providing affordable, high-quality training to advocates and mental health practitioners in order to enhance their response to victims of crimes.
Jenkins asked that organizations and individuals who are interested in this training should contact Antoinette James at (340) 773-3920, ext. 3249 by May 1, since space is limited.
