Synopsis
The Survivor Voices Council was designed and launched as a statewide survivor-led advisory body informing organizational policy, training, and program strategy. Its structure treats lived experience as governance knowledge rather than occasional testimony.
The problem it responds to
Organizations often seek survivor input through one-time listening sessions or uncompensated emotional labor. Those approaches extract stories without creating continuity, authority, or accountability.
What the work contributes
- Built a recurring statewide advisory structure rather than a single consultation event.
- Connected survivor participation to policy, training, and program decisions.
- Included geographic representation, at-large participation, and compensation.
- Created operational systems necessary to sustain ethical engagement.
Development
- Developed and launched through statewide domestic-violence work.
- Part of a broader practice in survivor-centered and participatory infrastructure.
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