Between Friends is excited to welcome Verda Bhatti as our new Director of Prevention & Community Education. Verda has over 25 years of experience in working with educational and nonprofit organizations, developing and maintaining strong coalitions in multicultural settings.
Verda previously served with YWCA Evanston North Shore as the Manager for Domestic Violence Training and Prevention. Prior to joining the YWCA team, she made significant contributions as a teacher, leader, and organizer.
Her areas of expertise include planning and developing prevention and education strategies that address the way individuals, relationships, communities, and societal factors impact interpersonal violence, and that aim to prevent violence before it occurs. The focal points of her educational background and training are crisis intervention, relationship building, harm reduction, and trauma-informed care.
Verda has a passion for Comprehensive Prevention Education and aims to empower youth and communities so that they can learn, create, and choose healthy, trusting, equitable relationships with others and be advocates for safety and justice for all. We are delighted to have her on board!