Hull, Iowa — This past Wednesday and Thursday, a Domestic Violence Awareness Simulation was conducted by Sioux County School Resource Officer Deputy Waylon Pollema at the Boyden-Hull Jr-Sr High School, with faculty and students.
The simulation kit ‘In Her Shoes,’ is a community education tool designed for participants to learn about domestic violence and its impact on survivors as well as what hurdles a victim may face.
This was a collaborative effort with staff members from both Boyden-Hull High School, Western Christian High School, members of the Sioux County Attorney’s Office, Family Crisis Center, Sanford Sheldon Medical Center and Sioux County Sheriff’s Office.
Faculty of of the Boyden-Hull Jr-Sr High School, students of the Boyden-Hull senior class and students from Western Christian’s Family Relations class went through the simulations. Participants from both days were put into groups and made their way through simulations by having to make several decisions based on the circumstances they found themselves in.
“In Her Shoes/In Their Shoes,” is developed and owned by the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Seattle, Washington, USA, www.wscadv.org.
Deputy Pollema called it a great experience for everyone. He says they were very engaged in the activity and had some great questions. He related hearing several great conversations taking place as the simulations progressed and he says he received very positive feedback from faculty and students following the simulations. Pollema says they will continue to work with all of the schools and provide this educational tool where possible.
Pollema says he’s extremely grateful for everyone who took the time over the two days to help educate the students.
