Unseen Advocates: A Training for First Responders

Join COMPASS Family & Community Services for an impactful day of education, collaboration, and community engagement as we welcome nationally recognized speaker Jim Schmidt for the Gabby Petito Foundation Community Training.

This dynamic training will bring together law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, prosecutors, victim advocates, medical professionals, behavioral health providers, educators, students, and community leaders to explore the realities of domestic violence, coercive control, strangulation, trauma-informed response, and victim-centered intervention. Through both professional expertise and personal experience, Jim Schmidt delivers a powerful message that equips attendees to recognize warning signs, improve responses, and strengthen outcomes for victims and survivors.

As part of the event, Youngstown State University Criminal Justice students and Police Academy cadets will participate in an exclusive post-program roundtable discussion with Jim Schmidt, providing future first responders with an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation about real-world challenges they will encounter throughout their careers.

This event also serves as a signature recognition of Sojourner House's 35th year of serving families. For 35 years, Sojourner House—Mahoning County's only emergency domestic violence shelter—has provided safety, advocacy, and hope to thousands of survivors. This training reflects our continued commitment to prevention, education, and community collaboration.

Proceeds from this event help offset training expenses, support community education initiatives, and ensure that professionals across our region have access to high-quality education that strengthens our collective response to domestic violence and interpersonal violence.

Together, we can build a safer, more informed community—one where professionals are better prepared, survivors are better supported, and lives are changed.

CEUs pending, CPTs approved