Through a partnership with the Survivor Link network, Mizzou students are helping to strengthen communities and build capacity to address intimate partner violence. Missouri became the 12th state in the nation to join the network in 2024.

Students who are selected to be a Survivor Link intern earn a stipend and an educational grant. In exchange, they receive specialized training and deliver presentations about domestic violence intervention and prevention at their field placement location. The program operates in partnership with AmeriCorps.

“Relationship violence impacts nearly every social, legal and public health sector in our communities,” said Kathleen Preble, an expert in intimate partner violence who served as the program’s first faculty coordinator in Missouri. “Increasing community partners’ confidence in identifying and responding to relationship violence translates into healthier, more resilient communities.”

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, about 42% of Missouri women and 35% of men experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. Additionally, Missouri ranks second in the nation for women murdered by men, according to the Violence Policy Center; 56% of those cases are perpetrated by an intimate partner.

Community nonprofits or government agencies interested in having a Survivor Link intern placed with their organization may contact Tiffany Bowman, School of Social Work field education director, at bowmants@health.missouri.edu.