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Dear VPF Friends,
Welcome to the Violence Prevention Forum newsletter. On a bi-weekly basis we will be sharing research, resources, upcoming events and opportunities. We hope you find this a useful resource.
For any resources and events you'd like to share in this newsletter or queries, contact vpf@issafrica.org.
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Facilitating discussions on how best think tanks can collaborate with other sectors
On 17 and 18 June, the Violence Prevention team joined global leaders at the On Think Tanks conference, hosted at GIBS Business School. The conference convened think tanks from across the world—including Latin America, Southern and East Africa, West Africa, Europe, South Asia, and North America—under the theme Think Tanks and Impact, creating a rare space to exchange ideas, experiences, and challenges.
The VPF co-facilitated two sessions that broke away from the usual conference format. In true VPF style, there were no presentations or powerpoints. Instead, participants sat in a circle, listened deeply, and engaged in honest conversations about the realities of collaboration.
Though “collaboration” is often invoked as a buzzword in the social change space frequently framed as something that’s lacking, these sessions challenged that narrative. Participants explored whether collaboration has genuinely become more difficult, surfacing a complex web of factors that influence collaboration, such as regional context, political environment, institutional values, leadership and levels of trust between partners. Where collaboration had stalled, the barriers were not just logistical, but deeply personal, highlighting that collaboration is as emotional as it is technical.
In a powerful reflection, participants described the sessions as “a safe space to pause and reflect. They felt the complexity of the work was acknowledged by other leaders. In a world driven by impact metrics, this kind of space is rare, and as the session revealed, it is collaboration in its own right."
To learn more about the conference click here
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Webinar: Evidence-based methodologies for preventing mis/disinformation
Join the Centre for an Informed Republic at the University of Washington and Tales of Turning for a webinar on evidence-based methodologies for preventing mis/disinformation. This webinar will include a presentation of new research findings regarding how users can respond to misinformation shared online to reduce its impact on other users. View the research here.
Date: 2 July 2025, 18:00, SAST
Register to attend : here
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Webinar : Edutainment to prevent violence against women and children
Join Prevention Collaborative, RAES, and Soul City for a dynamic webinar exploring the growing role of edutainment in preventing violence against women and children. Discover how storytelling, media, and entertainment are being used to drive large-scale behaviour change. The session will feature insights from a new evidence review and real-world experiences from practitioners developing creative, impactful edutainment programmes aimed at tackling violence.
Date: 8 July 2025, 15:00 SAST
Read the new edutainment policy brief under resources below. |
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Vacancy: Director, Violence Prevention (Western Cape Government)
The Department of Health and Wellness is recruiting a visionary leader to head its Violence Prevention work.Required knowledge and skills include understanding and experience with legislation, regulatory frameworks, policies, and best practices relevant to the role.
The candidate must be able to provide strategic management, including change management, guidance, advice, and oversight regarding violence prevention policies and strategies and intervention development and implementation. Facilitate the development, coordination, approval, and evaluation of evidence-based policies and violence prevention interventions and ensure their implementation. Provide overall guidance and support to the Implementation Teams across various geographic areas.
Location: Cape Town
Closing date: 30 June 2025, 12:00 AM
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Vacancy: Assistant Director, Violence Prevention Unit (Western Cape Government)
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness is seeking an assistant director for the Violence Prevention Unit. The role will focus on implementation and reporting. It involves coordinating the mobilisation, implementation, and reporting of violence prevention strategies for common impact. Engaging and advising implementation teams on localised responses to violence prevention, including co-developing violence prevention guidelines, frameworks, and implementation tools.
Essential skills include good interpersonal skills, computer literacy, planning and organisational skills, facilitation and presentation skills, dispute resolution/conflict management skills, problem-solving skills, and analysis skills. Candidates should also have knowledge and understanding of the functions of different spheres of government, social dynamics within communities, and the policies and priorities of the current government.
Location: Cape Town
Closing date: 30 June 2025, 12:00 AM
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UCT Course: Trauma-Informed Research Methodologies
The course is aimed at researchers from a range of disciplines and professional settings who want to learn how to conduct original trauma-informed research or how to apply the principles of trauma-informed research in their research practices.
This course aims to cultivate an environment where diverse voices and methodologies are not only acknowledged but celebrated. Through this lens, students will explore methodologies that honour the lived experiences of all individuals and pave the way for a more inclusive, equitable, and just approach to academic inquiry.
Date: 28 July 2025 to 1 August 2025
Venue: Room 26-27, Valkenberg Hospital Education Building, Observatory
Time: 09h00 to 16h00
Course fee is R 5,500 per person
Read more: here
Register online: here
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Evidence Brief: The promise of edutainment to prevent violence against women and children
This evidence brief from Prevention Collaborative highlights the growing potential of edutainment—media like TV shows, social media, theatre, and games—to reduce violence against women and children. Based on a global evidence review, the findings show that creative storytelling can shift harmful norms, influence behaviour change, and reach large audiences cost-effectively.
With promising results from 21 rigorous studies, especially in areas like child marriage and FGM, the brief also calls for more investment, better research, and context-sensitive design to unlock edutainment’s full impact. Read more here
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