The Zonta Club of Fort Collins, USA, hosted the training program ‘In Her Shoes’ at the local Chamber of Commerce for the 16 Days of Activism. Club members invited community members, county commissioners, city council, the mayor and nonprofit leaders whose work serves various populations in Northern Colorado, and are in a position to make a difference in the domestic violence issue in the city.

According to Fort Collins police data from 2024, 33% of all calls were related to domestic violence, reflecting the global reality that one in three women and one in five men experience domestic violence. The In Her Shoes program provided participants with an experiential learning opportunity by placing them in the role of a survivor navigating complex and often urgent safety decisions.

Working in small groups, participants followed assigned characters through a series of stations, making choices that led to different outcomes. The program concluded with group discussions where participants shared reflections and emotional responses to their experiences. Two rounds of the exercise were offered, allowing deeper engagement and discussion during the second session.

The training also served as an opportunity to introduce participants to Zonta International’s advocacy work, including the Zonta Says NO campaign, while fostering dialogue around local challenges, solutions and the importance of accessible resources for survivors. A networking session at the close of the event helped build connections among attendees committed to addressing domestic violence.

The Zonta Club of Fort Collins is now discussing offering this training a few times per year with the intention that the more we can teach the more aligned our community will be to end domestic violence. Learn more about the In Her Shoes initiative here.