Our Mission
The Partner Project is about people developing relationships built on respect, patience and dignity. Healthy relationships support personal growth and safety which transcends into a life of meaning filled with many opportunities for success. The Partner Project is a collaborative effort to raise awareness about relationship violence through education, research and dialogue. The Partner Project is dedicated to those individuals who suffer in silence due to relationship violence.
The Partner Project works to end the silence associated with relationship, domestic and dating violence through education, training, research and responsible action. The Project promotes the importance of healthy relationships, personal safety and improved quality of life for those who suffer in silence.
Our Story
End the Silence
It Started on the Street
John Amodeo, M.A., Co-Founder of The Partner Project, began his professional career as an NYPD officer on the streets of Brooklyn. During his tenure he was troubled by the number of homicides attributable to Relationship, Domestic and Dating Violence (RDDV).
Driven by concern for residents Amodeo began a dialogue with community members about the quality of their lives. He began to look for opportunities for victims to break the cycle of violence.
When he became the Commanding Officer of the 75th Precinct Detective Squad, Amodeo invited domestic violence counselors to speak with detectives and supervisors on warning signs of RDDV (also known as “red flags”.) He realized that education and training would play an important role in improving the quality of people’s lives.
“Safe at School”
Upon his retirement from the NYPD, Amodeo began a career in campus security. He was introduced to an environment where young adults came to learn. Unfortunately he soon learned that, like the city streets, a segment of the school population was also impaired by RDDV.
He viewed the student’s college career as a window of opportunity to acquire not only academic knowledge, but life skills as well. It was then that his goal became clear…young adults needed to feel “safe at school.”
Amodeo focused on the need for learning institutions to provide more than just personal counseling centers to those living in fear of RDDV. Educating students and training administrators and staff are essential to ending the silence that surrounds RDDV.
The Partner Project’s Interdisciplinary Approach
Amodeo began conversations with a colleague, Teresa Aprigliano, Ed.D., RN, Co-Founder of The Partner Project, regarding his vision of “safe at school” and the issues that surround RDDV. Dr. Aprigliano is the Associate Dean and Director of the Nursing Program at the college where they worked together.
During the spring 2012 semester a student, whose personal life was tainted by relationship violence, visited Dr. Aprigliano’s office in obvious distress. Once the student began to reveal her situation, Dr. Aprigliano reached out to campus safety and Amodeo for assistance.
The immediate situation was addressed successfully and the necessary tools were provided to assist the student. However, they realized that more could be done to educate others to manage similar situations. Their conversations continued, and they began to research the issue further. The discussions culminated in the development of a unique interdisciplinary approach joining two major professions- security and health care. Both areas are considered within the realm of Human Services and are dedicated to helping people live better lives by improving their quality of life.
That unique approach evolved into The Partner Project.