PreventConnect

This past August, the 2026 National Sexual Assault Conference® (NSAC) brought together more than one thousand people working to prevent and end sexual violence in Washington, D.C. In today’s episode, Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez reflects on what  she took away from NSAC, from the energy of being together in person to conversations about culturally grounded preventions, strong prevention strategies, and the role of connection and joy in sustaining the work.You’ll also hear from Jaiyah Saelua from the American Samoa Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Sarah DeGue founder of Evolve Violence Prevention, and China Aquino from the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence as they share takeaways from the conference, reflect on their sessions, and consider what it will take to prevent sexual violence.

Luke Malone joins us in this PreventConnect podcast episode with a special sneak peak into his and Elizabeth J. Letourneau’s new book: One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis—And What We Can Do to Stop It, coming out August 18, 2026.Luke sits down with Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez to discuss how he came to spending more than a decade researching and reporting on child sexual abuse as a journalist, how some of our belief systems can limit our understanding of prevention, and how we already have the tools to prevent child sexual abuse.Listen in today to learn more about what Luke believes we can do as a society to increase accessibility, understanding, and impact of prevention in our communities, and how One in Five covers the tools that anyone can use to be part of preventing child sexual abuse.One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis—And What We Can Do to Stop It by Elizabeth J. Letourneau and Luke Malone comes out on August 18, 2026.Check out Luke's work at The Center for Violence Prevention Research

Omar Godwin and Alicia Freeman sit down with PreventConnect to give us a sneak peak into the prevention track at the 2026 National Sexual Assault Conference® (NSAC) hosted by Respect Together! Omar, North Carolina Coaltion Against Sexual Assault, and Alicia, Ascend Counseling and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, join Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez to talk about their session, “Silent No More: Healing Through Our Stories: An Intertribal Approach to Sexual Violence Prevention and Healing,” and the power of storytelling, cultural traditions, and strong partnerships in preventing violence and healing from when it does occur. Listen in today to get a sneak peak of Omar and Alicia’s session, learn more about Intertribal approaches to survivor healing and preventing violence, and all that we’re excited for at NSAC 2026.Omar and Alicia’s session will be on August 19, 2026 from 10:15 - 11:45 am ET.

Collaboration with youth-serving organizations is essential to prevention work. The good news? A key prevention resource, Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations, has been newly updated! Amber McKeen, Praesidium, Inc., and Maggie Ingram, Center for Violence Prevention Research, Two of the resource’s primary authors, sit down with host Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez to discuss and explain how this resource offers an opportunity to think of youth-serving organizations themselves as critical settings for prevention.Listen in to learn more about the resource, working with youth-serving organizations, and using new information to build a culture of prevention in your communities and workplaces! Don’t forget to check out PreventConnect’s joint blog as you’re listening: Exploring the Updated Resource on Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations.

What happens when a rural elementary school starts reimagining accountability through connection, care, and community support instead of punishment?K-12 educator Jessica Harris joins PreventConnect to explore prevention efforts happening beyond traditional sexual intimate violence prevention spaces to share the story behind CLIMB -- Children Learning to Independently Manage Behavior.In part 2 of this two-part episode, Jessica and Ashleigh continue their discussion on CLIMB and the skills the program teaches with a wider lens. They talk about how the program has affected students and their families, and has the ability to affect communities on a much larger scale if all students were taught emotional regulation, communication, and problem-solving like those in the CLIMB program. Listen in as Jessica and Ashleigh dive into how powerful showing students that they matter can be in preventing violence.