Advocates of victims of domestic violence in Pennsylvania will gather in State College this week to strategize for the next year.

State College will host the 2001 Statewide Training Institute and Conference of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) today until Friday at the Penn State Conference Center.

The conference will feature lectures and workshops designed to allow advocates to network and share information, hone their skills and to take home new ideas for domestic violence prevention and treatment programs in their counties, PCADV spokeswoman Denise M. Scotland said.

The PCADV is the first coalition of its kind in the United States. The organization will commemorate its 25th anniversary at the conference in State College this year, said Jackie Stutts, PCADV conference coordinator.

"It is a training institute and conference to give advocates new information, reinforce skills and to train new skills," Stutts said.

One participating shelter in the conference is the Centre County Women's Resource Center (CCWRC).

"We try to send our staff to (the conferences)," said Anne Ard, director of the center. "It is a good opportunity for folks who work with victims of domestic violence and to learn the latest developments in their field.

"It is primarily geared for folks working with victims of domestic violence to service victims better and to do their jobs better," she added.

Ard said three staffers from the CCWRC will participate in the conference. She will be holding a workshop on how to raise money to keep domestic violence shelters funded.

Ard said the conference covers a broad range of related topics such as raising money to keep a domestic violence shelter afloat, custody disputes, spiritual needs of battered women and the relation between animal abuse and domestic violence. The conference also addresses cyber-stalking and how parents can protect children on the Internet, she added.

Keynote addresses from survivors of domestic violence will also be given throughout the conference.

"PCADV works hard to incorporate the stories of victims of domestic violence," Ard said. "Intermengling of survival stories (is) a powerful part of the conference."

Since its inception 25 years ago, Stutts said there have been changes in domestic violence patterns.

"We see more victims than 25 years ago," Stutts said. "We realize it is really just the tip of the iceberg.

"Domestic violence programs can't do it alone. It is important to coordinate with other programs that are in contact with victims," she added.

Registration for the conference is available to the public through the Conference Center. A candlelight vigil to honor victims of domestic violence who have died will also be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Conference Center.