Welcome to Part 2 of our January 2026 Inspirational Interview with Donna Bartos, Founder and CEO of BLOOM365 in the USA.
A thought leader in interpersonal violence prevention and response, Donna founded the nonprofit BLOOM365 in 2006 with the mission of preventing abuse before it starts. The host of the Uproot Abuse podcast, she is nationally recognised for translating theory into actionable practice to inspire generational change. Donna, who holds a master’s in public administration, balances this impactful work by enjoying travel (always seeking the perfect gluten-free pastry), singing karaoke, and cherishing moments with her family in Peoria, Arizona.
In this part of the interview, Donna shares her advice for others looking to engage youth in ending VAW and talks about her organisation’s plans for the next five years.
Part one of Donna’s interview was published 4 January 2026.
All photos are courtesy of BLOOM365.
6. What advice would you give to activists and advocates in other countries who are keen to try a similar approach to preventing VAW in their part of the world?
If I could offer one piece of foundational advice, it would be this: genuinely partner with young people, do not just talk at them. Instead of just ticking a box, invite youth to co-create your programs right from the start. They are the experts on their own social world, and their insights will make your work truly effective.
You also might want to focus heavily on primary prevention—really getting to those root causes. Think about tackling things like insecurity, rigid gender norms, social acceptance, and taught abusive behaviours before violence even has a chance to occur.
Also, invest in training students as peer advocates and trusted adults as allies to build a resilient network of natural helpers ready to step in.
Finally, ensure prevention education is directly linked to support services. When a student bravely discloses abuse—whether they are experiencing it or perpetrating it—you’ll want to have immediate safety, healing, and risk reduction resources ready to go. You’ll be creating a supportive, continuous circle of care across the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention pipeline.
7. One of the keys to eradicating VAW is to get men and boys on board efforts to do so. What do you think are the most effective ways of galvanising men and boys to help to end VAW?
I believe the key is to engage men and boys without shame or blame. If we come at them with accusations, they shut down. Instead, we frame it around shared values like safety and leadership. We also need to validate that they experience victimisation too — that acknowledgment builds trust. When we equip young men to be visible leaders and peer influencers, standing up against violence becomes the socially accepted thing to do. Most importantly, we need non-judgmental spaces where young men who are at risk of hurting others can ask for help. That’s how we uproot abuse in a generation.
8. Tell us about BLOOM365’s plans for the future. What campaigns, programmes, or projects do you have coming up in the next 5 years?
We have an audacious goal: reaching a societal tipping point by 2030. We believe that if we can educate and activate just 10% of young people across the U.S. and Canada, we can shift the culture and social norms toward non-violence permanently.
To get there, the next five years are all about strategic replication. We aren’t just running programmes ourselves anymore; we are training natural helpers — teens, junior military personnel, professional athletes, advocates, teachers, coaches, mentors, etc. — to replicate the BLOOM365 model in their own communities. By empowering them to recognise root causes and respond to victimisation, we create exponential growth. We’re building an unstoppable army of preventionists.
9. How can The Pixel Project’s supporters engage with and support the efforts of BLOOM365 to stop VAW?
The Pixel Project’s supporters can really help us hit that “10% by 2030” goal. A simple way is to amplify our message — share our “Are you blooming or wilting?” resources on social media to get people thinking about root cause prevention and healthy vs. unhealthy relationships.
Beyond that, encourage the young people in your life to train as Peer Advocates, or encourage the teachers, coaches, and other trusted adults you know to learn the L.E.V.E.L.™ response technique, ensuring a consistent, supportive response when young people disclose abuse. Also, consider being a guest on our Uproot Abuse podcast — we’d love to hear your voices!
10. In your considered opinion, how can we end VAW for good?
The answer isn’t just more laws or shelters, though those are vital for immediate safety. We must recognise a hard truth: abusers aren’t born, they’re built.
For too long, violence against women has been treated as inevitable, but we have the power to change this. To end it, we need a complete shift toward root cause prevention, focusing on the next generation.
Think about our priorities: kids are taught “stop, drop, and roll” for rare fire emergencies, yet we fail to equip them with the vital skills to spot controlling behaviour, understand consent, or manage possessive jealousy.
We need to empower every school and community to teach respectful relationships and proactively screen for and address risk factors from the start. That is how we create a culture where violence is not only prevented but is also unimaginable. Raising a generation that fundamentally rejects violence in all forms is the inspirational, actionable path to ending violence against women for good, and this belief drives me to continue the work, no matter how exhausting.
