Toledo CEDAW commission sets tentative Oct. 1 summit to address gender-based violence, youth trauma

The Toledo CEDAW Gender Equity Commission set a tentative date of Oct. 1 for a summit focused on gender-based violence and youth and began work this month to shape programming, outreach and safety supports.

At the commission meeting, Benita, the city’s gender equity manager, said planners aim to include a youth track and a professionals track and are exploring venues. “We did set a tentative date of October 1st for the summit,” Benita said. The commission is pursuing venue options including the Delta Hotel and hopes to identify a site within two to three weeks.

Commission members and community partners at the planning meeting sketched a program that would include trauma-informed supports and on-site spaces for attendees who are triggered. Hope, a commission member who attended the planning meeting, said the group spent substantial time on how to make a safe environment for young people and adults, including “a space for young people or for youth as well as adults to be able to step away and have some place where they can... maybe calm themselves down or have somebody to talk to.”

The commission discussed bringing students from Toledo Public Schools to the youth track; Dr. Archer of TPS raised the idea of bussing students to the event. Benita said organizers plan separate programming for youth and for practitioners.

Organizers are also seeking law-enforcement participation. Benita said she invited Captain Mike Smith of the Toledo Police Department to join the planning committee; Smith told organizers he wanted officers to understand community resources and to improve coordination. Benita said Smith emphasized the department’s need for reliable community resources, noting officers often must tell callers to contact organizations such as the YWCA but that those programs sometimes lack capacity.

Representatives of victim-service organizations said the summit can serve as a chance to update referral partners on available services. An unnamed YWCA representative clarified local shelter practice: “We are a domestic violence shelter. We turn no 1 away. So we put them in hotels,” the representative said, adding that the YWCA does not advertise hotel placements to avoid safety risks. The representative also said the agency now serves a broader range of survivors than it did decades ago.

Planners discussed holding a meet-and-greet the night before the summit to allow smaller groups—such as YWCA and Bethany House—to connect and build relationships prior to the full event. Benita said the commission expects many volunteer roles before and during the summit and noted the commission’s name and CEDAW affiliation will be prominent in promotional materials.

Next steps include confirming a venue, continuing committee planning and recruiting volunteers and community partners. Benita asked commission members to block Oct. 1 on their calendars and sign up for planning roles once organizers finalize the venue and program details.