Shine Aware Consulting
Get the Facts: Expert Knowledge from Lived Experience
Shine Aware Consulting
Get the Facts: Expert Knowledge from Lived Experience
Shine Aware: Beyond Traditional Consulting
Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship
- First and foremost, Shine Aware is a social entrepreneurship project. Shine Aware has identified a cultural matrix that perpetuates harmful gendered tropes about survivors of gender-based violence.
- Due to the insidious nature of these matrices, Shine Aware has risen to the occasion to formulate competent solutions by integrating evidence-based practices and lived experience expertise.
Our Consulting Business
Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship
There is a powerful meaning behind being Shine Aware:
- In the darkest times, when relentless forces attempt to silence survivors' voices and obscure the significance of their lived experiences, we stand up against the erasure of survivors' lives.
- At Shine Aware Consulting, we believe that only by engaging with and listening to survivors can policymakers and organizations provide services that truly make a difference.
Our Training Business
Social Entrepreneurship
Our Training Business
- Our experts are academically trained professionals who are also survivors. Their lived experiences have shaped their academic and professional training, resulting in a distinctive form of expertise. This unique combination allows our experts to convey the realities of suffering from an insider's perspective while maintaining the objectivity required by the scientific method.
- Additionally, we offer training for clients in effective data collection techniques.
Lived Experience Converged with Data Analytics
Lived Experience
Sharing & Implementing Knowledge
Lived Experience
- Lived experience expertise is the most valuable piece in any program or state policy. Truly positive change can happen simply by listening to survivors and by creating solutions tailored for their specific needs.
- This approach enables us to provide our clients with a thorough understanding of complex issues, guiding them to develop informed, empathetic, and effective strategies.
- Therefore, survivors' contributions can translate in substantial savings for organizations and governments.
Debunking Myths
Sharing & Implementing Knowledge
Lived Experience
- We analyze complex cultural tropes, debunking gendered myths and stereotypes that have harmed survivors and protected groups.
- Rape myths and gender stereotypes are particularly toxic and destructive as they perpetuate victim-blaming, stigmatize survivors, and uphold harmful power dynamics.
- By bringing survivor narratives to light and grounding them in social science, we can neutralize these harmful cultural constructs, fostering a more understanding and equitable society."
Sharing & Implementing Knowledge
Sharing & Implementing Knowledge
Sharing & Implementing Knowledge
- By reading our blog and subscribing to our newsletter, you will gain valuable information to critically assess the current post-truth environment. This clarity will empower you to make better-informed decisions and contribute to building a sustainable future.
- Additionally, by contracting our services, you gain access to cutting-edge strategies and tools tailored to your needs.
- Our expertise ensures you have the right blueprint to develop impactful programs, innovative policies, and pioneering research, positioning your organization at the forefront of social change and sustainable development.
Ethical Involvement with Survivors
Ethical Involvement with Survivors
Ethical Involvement with Survivors
Survivors' stories have been co-opted by academics, activists, and lawmakers for personal gain, leaving survivors stigmatized and re-traumatized. Our team can provide training and educational materials tailored to organizational needs, emphasizing survivors safety and engaging victims and survivors with dignity and respect.
Qualitative Research Methodology
Ethical Involvement with Survivors
Ethical Involvement with Survivors
Our services include comprehensive qualitative research that delves deeply into the human experiences and narratives that quantitative data often overlooks.
By employing methods such as:
- in-depth interviews,
- focus groups, and
- case studies,
we uncover rich, nuanced insights that drive meaningful change.
Our expertise ensures that our clients can too become fluent in listening to and interpreting the voices of those impacted by gender based violence.
Mixed Methods Research
Ethical Involvement with Survivors
Data Collection & Analysis
Our services include the application of quasi-experimental methods to provide robust, evidence-based insights into complex social issues.
By utilizing techniques such as:
- matched control groups,
- time-series analysis, and
- regression discontinuity designs,
we deliver rigorous and reliable findings.
Our expertise ensures that our clients receive comprehensive, data-driven recommendations that drive effective and empathetic solutions.
Data Collection & Analysis
Trauma Informed Approach to Program Development
Data Collection & Analysis
Our services include comprehensive data collection and formatting to provide reliable and ethically sourced datasets.
When we are contracted to analyze data, our expertise ensures that our clients receive detailed, data-driven recommendations that inform effective and empathetic solutions.
Intersectionality and Cultural Awareness
Trauma Informed Approach to Program Development
Trauma Informed Approach to Program Development
We design our training modules to prioritize our clients' needs; to this end we developed a cultural awareness-language-meaning-and intersectionality framework to make the most out of interactions with victims and survivors of gender violence.
Trauma Informed Approach to Program Development
Trauma Informed Approach to Program Development
Trauma Informed Approach to Program Development
This approach allows us to assess the impact of interventions and programs, particularly those related to gender violence, with a high degree of accuracy.
Areas of Expertise
Gender Based Violence
Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is a pattern of behavior where one partner exerts control over the other through physical, emotional, psychological, or financial means, including violence and intimidation. Its effects are far-reaching, leading to long-term trauma and necessitating comprehensive support and intervention for survivors
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is any non-consensual sexual act or behavior, including rape and unwanted touching, often involving force or manipulation. It has profound physical, emotional, and psychological impacts on survivors, necessitating robust prevention, education, and survivor-centered support systems.
Workplace Sexual Harassment
Workplace sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual behavior or advances that create a hostile or offensive work environment, including inappropriate comments, gestures, or physical contact. It undermines employee well-being, disrupts the work environment, and requires comprehensive policies and a culture of respect to address effectively.
Campus Sexual Assault
Campus sexual assault is any non-consensual sexual act or behavior occurring in a college or university setting, often involving force or manipulation. It profoundly impacts victims' well-being, requiring comprehensive prevention, education, and support systems.
Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking is the exploitation of individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for sexual purposes, often involving manipulation and abuse. Victims suffer severe physical and psychological trauma, necessitating extensive support and legal intervention.
Femicide
Femicide is the intentional killing of women and girls because of their gender, often rooted in misogyny and systemic discrimination. It highlights the urgent need for gender equality and robust legal protections.
Human Smuggling and Trafficking, and Migration
Migration
More than ever before, people are facing political violence, global unrest, food and housing insecurity, gang violence, wars, and climate change. These challenges compel many to make the difficult decision to embark on perilous journeys, seeking safety and a better life in the Global North. These journeys are fraught with dangers, including human trafficking, exploitation, and life-threatening conditions.
Human Smuggling and Trafficking
The rapid destruction of human and animal habitats due to the reckless exploitation of resources by major corporate conglomerates from the Global North has turned migration into an ongoing refugee crisis. As a result, an increasing number of migrants are being trafficked, imprisoned, or killed before they can reach safety.
Child Sexual Exploitation
The Covid-19 pandemic has increased vulnerability, especially among women and children. Reports from law enforcement agencies and international organizations indicate that women and children are being trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced to engage in criminal activities.
Shine Aware can assist policymakers in developing better programs and strategies to address sex trafficking, offering expert guidance on prevention, protection, and support for survivors.
Title IX, VII, ADA
Discrimination in Higher Ed
Students, faculty and staff in higher ed who are subjected to sexual harassment, gender/sex/disability discrimination face a difficult decision: to file formal complaints, or move on without seeking relief.
Both options come with consequences.
Retaliation and Third Party Harassment
Formal investigations and litigation can take years, during which survivors and complainants are often targeted for retaliation and third-party harassment. This retaliation can take a severe toll on survivors, exacerbating their trauma and discouraging others from coming forward. Institutions that fail to protect survivors and address these retaliatory actions may face significant legal and reputational costs.
The # MeToo movement fostered a powerful sense of solidarity among survivors and sparked widespread conversations about consent, power dynamics, and the need for systemic change to address and prevent sexual misconduct. However, the movement has also faced significant backlash, including retaliatory SLAPP defamation lawsuits.
These lawsuits are often used by accused individuals to intimidate and silence survivors, further complicating their pursuit of justice and amplifying their trauma.
Bullying, Mobbing, and Disability Harassment
Mobbing
Disability Harassment
Bullying
Mobbing is the harassment and bullying of a target by a group of individuals, often occurring in workplaces, schools, or social settings. This phenomenon involves persistent, coordinated efforts to harass, isolate, and undermine the victim, leading to severe emotional and psychological distress.
Mobbing can include various forms of abuse such as gossip, exclusion, verbal attacks, and false accusations. The collective nature of mobbing amplifies its impact, making it difficult for the target to defend themselves or seek support.
Bullying
Disability Harassment
Bullying
Bullying is a pervasive and harmful behavior that involves the repeated use of aggression, intimidation, or coercion to dominate or harm others. It can occur in various settings, including schools, workplaces, and online platforms, and can take many forms such as physical violence, verbal abuse, social exclusion, and cyberbullying. The impact of bullying is far-reaching, often leading to severe emotional and psychological distress for the victims, including anxiety, depression, and diminished self-esteem.
Disability Harassment
Disability Harassment
Disability Harassment
Disability harassment and discrimination refer to the unjust and prejudicial treatment of individuals with disabilities in various aspects of life, including education, employment, and social interactions. This
mistreatment can manifest as verbal abuse, exclusion, physical intimidation, and denial of reasonable accommodations. The impact of disability harassment and discrimination can be profound, leading to psychological distress, reduced opportunities, and diminished quality of life for those affected.
Working Together for a Better Future
Institutional Betrayal and Community Neglect
Institutional Betrayal and Community Neglect
Institutional Betrayal and Community Neglect
- Survivors of gender based violence experience secondary victimization and institutional betrayal from the very organizations that are entrusted with their protection.
- Schools, youth correctional facilities, and the Foster Care system are some of the culprits, failing to prevent and protect vulnerable people from predators.
Unique Solutions to Complex Problems
Institutional Betrayal and Community Neglect
Institutional Betrayal and Community Neglect
- The blog, newsletter, and trainings are valuable additions to attorneys representing victims, to institutions committed to implement changes, law enforcement agencies, and to policymakers.
- Consulting and training packages are evidence based and developed with survivors.