Welcome to the 2020 May issue of Volunteer Voices, a monthly newsletter for current and potential Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS) volunteers.
In this Issue:
| Table of Contents | |
|---|---|
|
|
Hello Everyone!
May is my favorite month of the year because it is the month I was born, and I can see many beautiful flowers in May. I was able to grow up with flowers since my mother was a florist for 40 years. Just looking at flowers makes me smile.
We have two new members on our Crisis Line Team. Please welcome Harleen and Sandra. There are also changes to DSVS services due to social distancing. ADAPT has suspended all in-group interventions and intake assessments. Counseling services are suspended, but telephonic case management is available for existing clients. DVAC is open for telephonic advocacy services Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. In-person hospital accompaniment services are suspended, but telephonic accompaniment support is available instead.
I appreciate everyone’s dedication during this difficult time. I hope you are staying healthy, and I look forward to meeting everyone and seeing your smiles after we overcome this difficult time.
Ara Jo
Co-Hotline Coordinator
The Fairfax County Department of Family Services is on Facebook! Follow us at @FairfaxCountyFamilyServices for news, events, tips, stories, training opportunities and more!
We support families and county residents of all ages and stages of life. Join our community and engage with us through social media. #FairfaxCountyFamilyServices
Each newsletter will include this section to help share reviews, spotlight the people who support Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, recognize birthdays and list upcoming trainings and meetings.
Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World
A follow-up to their 2010 collection Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape, this book of essays from editors Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti envisions a world where women are believed and the voices of survivors of sexual and domestic violence are valued by all. Featured essays include Congresswoman Ayanna Presley’s “We Belong Everywhere,” about the role survivors play in making systemic change within our political system; activist Julia Serano’s “He’s Marked/She’s Unmarked,” challenging the false idea that sexual assault and harassment are an issue of “he said/she said;” and Moira Donegan’s “How Bertha Cured Herself,” discussing the history of women’s hysteria and the silencing of survivors’ voices during the earliest studies of what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. With the voices of activists, legal advocates, journalists, scholars, historians and survivors, Believe Me provides a framework for how advocates can take what we have learned from the past to transform our future and end sexual and domestic violence for all.
Meet Allison Lowry!
"I have volunteered in some capacity since high school when it was a required part of Civics class – I loved it and was hooked! After I got out of college, I worked in IT and that wasn’t “filling my bucket,” so I looked for volunteer opportunities." Read on to learn more about Allison Lowry’s reasons for and commitment to volunteering.
Margaret Baxter, 3
Marci Robinson, 9
Lola Ulomi, 20
Violeta Fiorilo, 24
Elizabeth Margetta, 24
Kaitlin Couillard, 29
Emily Warner, 30
Active DSVS volunteers may sign up for training. If you are interested in a training and not currently volunteering with DSVS, please contact Debra Ranf or visit the VOICES web page for current volunteer opportunities.
Facilitating Across Difference
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
3-4:30 p.m.
Advocates working with LGBTQ survivors have learned that support group can work, and work well, even with very diverse groups of people—including building support groups that can welcome people of all genders and sexual orientations. This webinar shows how support group is one of the most versatile tools in the advocacy toolkit.
Survivors on the Margins of the Black Community: Centering the Needs of Youth and Child Survivors
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
2-3 p.m.
This webinar focuses on centering the needs of youth and child survivors of domestic violence.
Understanding Trauma Bonds Between Traffickers and Their Victims
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
2-3:30 p.m.
Trauma bonding is a counter-intuitive phenomenon in which a victim bonds and develops strong positive feelings toward his or her abuser. These bonds are common among sex trafficking victims and affect their ability to identify their own victimization, cooperate with law enforcement investigations, and refrain from going back into the life once they have left. This webinar will examine the formation of these bonds between traffickers and their victims through case examples, videos, and discussion. Strategies for breaking these bonds and helping victims psychologically separate from their abusers will also be discussed.
Understanding and Addressing Women’s Use of Force in Intimate Relationships: A Retrospective
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
2-3:30 p.m.
This presentation will provide an overview of the complexity of women’s use of force in their intimate heterosexual relationships. The presenters will explore the common characteristics of women who use force and, using an intersectional lens, discuss the experiences of women in marginalized communities. Presenters will discuss the development of best practices in community-based, gender-responsive, trauma-informed programming as well as detail how the legal responses to intimate partner violence have affected this population.
Working with Immigrant Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence
Thursday, June 4, 2020
1-2 p.m.
This webinar will examine the various opportunities and challenges of serving immigrant, refugee, or asylum-seeking survivors of sexual and domestic violence. It will explore the diversity in immigrant experiences and resultant barriers to accessing services along with best practices for working with immigrant survivors. It will also analyze the differences in trauma effects, legal and immigration relief options, recent immigration law changes, and service provider obligations.
Enhancing Services to Male Survivors Series: Changing the Narrative
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
2-3:30 p.m.
Shame and stigma are devastating for many male victims. Like many female victims of abuse, male victims often fear that their complaints will not be taken seriously or that they will be blamed for the abuse if they tell anyone. Many programs continue to struggle with the idea of making shelter services more gender inclusive. In part I of the Enhancing Services to Male Survivors Series; the presenters will engage in a discussion about Including a gender-conscious philosophical framework for enhanced services to male survivors of domestic violence that links to and builds upon the historical roots of the movement against gender-based violence and is consistent with anti-discrimination laws and related grant conditions.
Virtual Volunteer Quarterly Meeting
Tuesday, June 23
6-8 p.m.
This meeting will focus on sexual violence and will be led by Angie Acosta, Sexual Violence Outreach Specialist, and Ariel Ward, FACT Department Forensic Nurse.
Please take a moment to log on to your Volunteer Management System (VMS) account and log your hours for the month of April. Please also log any time you spent on training under “volunteer training.” If you do not see this selection under your opportunities, please email Debra Ranf, and she will log on to add it to your account.
-
Please enter your hours for each day you volunteered and not as a lump sum.
-
If you need to log hours for a previous month, please send email Debra to let her know so she can be aware of the entry and expedite the approval process.
Check out past issues of Volunteer Voices.