Building
Community
Committed to
Harassment-Free
Spaces for All
Harassment Free NC works to create environments where sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Through a collaborative process with our clients, Harassment Free NC redefines expectations around how to effectively respond to and prevent the pervasive problem of sexual harassment. Let us help.
Working with HFNC
Unfortunately, no organization is immune from sexual harassment. HFNC’s focus is on the future, helping our clients best prevent and address sexual harassment from this point foward. With that in mind, we work with clients who are just getting started, clients who want an expert perspective on their existing systems, and clients who have learned the hard way that the systems they had in place were insufficient, caused harm, and must be improved. We work with campuses, schools, organizations and businesses interested in creating positive change.
HFNC Does:
- Use our decades of expertise in sexual harassment prevention and response to carefully assess an organization’s areas of strength and vulnerability.
- Employ holistic and research-based strategies for sustainable improvement that are customized to meet organizational and community needs.
- Approach all of our work through a trauma-informed and intersectional lens.
- Design and facilitate engaging and effective learning experiences on a variety of relevant topics.
- Collaborate with clients to reduce sexual harassment in a manner that is accessible, thorough, thoughtful, and transparent.
HFNC Does Not:
- Investigate allegations of sexual harassment, past or present. If requested, we will offer appropriate referrals for investigative services.
- Provide direct service to survivors of sexual harassment. Although HFNC approaches our work with compassion and expertise on the impact of trauma, we are not licensed counselors. When needed, we will share relevant community resources.
- Excuse past problematic conduct. We firmly believe individuals and organizations should be accountable for harm they cause. Due to the nature of our work, HFNC will engage with clients who have inadequately addressed sexual harassment in the past. Our role is to create a safer community from this point forward.
Our Services
Achieving optimal and sustainable outcomes requires involvement from all levels of an organization. To this end, HFNC guidance offers a holistic and research-based four-pronged approach:
1) Materials and Systems Review
Assessment of policies, structures and systems related to the prevention and prohibition of inappropriate sexual conduct. This review process identifies areas of strength and vulnerability related to conduct expectations, as well as reporting and response protocols.
2) Climate Assessment
A confidential opportunity for community members to provide feedback to an independent and neutral expert provides invaluable information on perceptions and experiences of organizational climate.
3) Multi-Level Training
Increased awareness and understanding of the complex issues around sexual violence, including skill building and development, will empower participants to create and maintain a respectful climate.
4) Process and Impact Evaluation
Thoughtful and intentional evaluation of measures taken to advance goals will identify areas of success, strategies to enhance, and persisting challenges.
About Us
HFNC is who you need to do this work. The insight we offer is unique and effective because we balance our deep understanding of sexual harassment dyanmics with compassion, innovative educational methods, and a legal foundation. HFNC’s expertise is rooted in decades of experience developing and employing sexual harassment prevention and response programs across campuses, workplaces, and community groups.
Amy Circosta, Co-Founder
Amy is a passionate advocate for equity and just processes. Using her legal background and civil rights compliance experience, Amy leads Seven & Nine Consulting in advising conscientious employers on how to optimize equal opportunity and equity to create and maintain exemplary places to work and learn. In previous roles, Amy has served as an Equal Opportunity Officer, Chief Diversity Officer, and Title IX Coordinator and is skilled at considering multiple perspectives with thoughtful balance and objectivity.
Juliette Grimmett, Co-Founder
Juliette has over 25 years of professional experience creating and implementing interactive sexual violence prevention and response programs that call people to action. She serves as the Sexual Assault Victim Policy Strategist for the NC Department of Justice as part of the DOJ-funded Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) grant and as Founder of Chrysalis Network. She is a fierce advocate for survivors, holding offenders accountable, and dismantling all forms of oppression.
HFNC Believes:
1) The eradication of sexual harassment cannot occur without the elimination of all forms of oppression. HFNC’s work stems from this foundation, and this belief will be incorporated into all assessment, analysis, guidance and educational programs.
2) The only way to stop victimization is by preventing perpetration. Consequently, HFNC employs the Center for Disease Control & Prevention’s prevention approach to sexual harassment, while ensuring compliance with relevant laws and policies.
3) Achieving optimal and sustainable outcomes requires involvement from all levels of the community, working both together and contemporaneously to end sexual harassment. To this end, HFNC guidance is holistic and research-based.
Contact HFNC
If you’d like to learn more, please contact us at info@HarassmentFreeNC.com