Center for Public Health Workforce Development
PARTNER PROFILE: JULIO C. ROMAN
Collaboration and Community Come Together to Reduce LGBTQIA+ Sexual Violence
Endless Possibilities With a planned release in December 2023, Julio is excited to share this project with a wider audience. He knows that this website won’t just be a resource for LGBTQIA+ people and their allies in Newark and throughout New Jersey, but a model for the kind of digital resource that can be replicated in other cities and states. He intends to use the power of social media to amplify its reach and connect with even more like-minded LGBTQIA+ organizations and individuals. From here, the possibilities are endless.
Julio C. Roman is a Newark-based author, activist, community organizer, and social entrepreneur. Julio grew up in a vibrant and diverse community, but saw firsthand the devastating impact the AIDS epidemic had on his family and those around him. He embraced his queer identity at an early age and went on to find his passion in LGBTQIA+ public health and creating safe spaces in communities and organizations. It was through Julio’s work doing HIV prevention and outreach that Julio met Philip McCabe in one of his LGBT training workshops. Julio went on to establish the OUT Agency, which specializes in LGBTQIA+ safe space design, public health initiatives, HIV prevention and harm reduction programming, community engagement, and leadership development. He learned about the Community Partner Project Grant funding under the LGBTQIA+ Sexual Violence and Community Engagement Initiative and reconnected with Philip McCabe during the application process. An Obvious Gap Julio was eager to fill a clear gap he saw in information and resources that was tailored to the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals, their allies, and service providers. “I really took a look at what was happening up north to address the needs of sexual violence prevention as it pertains to LGBT folks. I’ve worked with a lot of organizations, and none of these organizations really had this type of programming or initiatives… what could be better than a user-friendly website?” Building a Collaborative Hub Together with OUT Agency’s talented Creative Director, Rafael Cuello, Julio submitted a proposal for financial support to build a new website centralizing information and resources about LGBTQ sexual violence prevention. A community organizer at heart, Julio knew that this website would require the support and buy-in of others if it was going to be an effective and comprehensive resource. For this reason, Julio began by assembling a community advisory board of individuals who had personally experienced sexual violence or were working as sexual violence advocates. Individuals from the transgender community played an active role in the group, as they remain particularly susceptible to violence. “We wanted to make sure we were taking the message directly to the community that was affected the most.” Through regular meetings, this advisory board became a collaborative hub for members to come together, united in their commitment to preventing sexual violence. Together they brainstormed about all the elements this website should include and how to bring it to life.
Visit the website at www.svpnj.org
2022-2023 Academic Learn more about us at rutgerstraining.sph.rutgers.edu
31
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker