(Posted 2022 October)
Meet Danielka Zeledon, ADAPT Volunteer
How long have you been volunteering? How long have you held this role in Fairfax County?
I have volunteered in my community since 2015, initially supporting the medical team with basic tasks at a local hospital, and as a mentor for a local elementary school. I started volunteering with Fairfax County in 2017, initially as part of the Parenting Education Programs, and now in my role as a co-facilitator at the Anger & Domestic Abuse Prevention & Treatment Program (ADAPT).
Why volunteer? Why volunteer for this specific program?
I decided to become a volunteer a few months upon moving to the U.S. My goals were to develop a sense of connection with others, practice and improve my English, and gain some level of immersion into my new community. Initially, I decided to volunteer at programs that were physically closer to my location as I took public transportation. Once I was able to move around independently, I was able to participate in other opportunities, such as the ones in Fairfax County.
At the time I decided to volunteer in Fairfax County, my interests had shifted. I wanted to feel more connected with the Latinx community in my area, and I was also considering returning to school. This experience would help me develop transferable skills I could use in my professional life as well as my personal life. After participating in those programs, I can tell volunteering offers a great opportunity to connect with others. As you prepare to deliver the lessons, you also learn important information from the programs themselves (e.g., learn alternative ways of regulating emotions and effective ways of communicating with others, to name a few).
ADAPT holds a very special place in my heart, as it has helped me challenge my own biases and assumptions about people who may use those services. Every time I have participated in those groups, I have left feeling appreciative for all the participants who have the courage to look at their actions and learn from them. It makes me feel more compassionate toward others and hopeful that change is possible. In this process I also grow, learn, and change with the participants.
Talk about how you overcome the most challenging parts of volunteering.
One of the most challenging parts of my volunteering experience has been adjusting the material provided in the programs to make them culturally sensitive and easy to understand, given literacy barriers of some participants, and the complexity of the information covered in the groups. This has been a particular challenge for me as I notice I tend to use complicated language, so I have shifted my thinking. The question I often asked myself was, ‘How do I communicate a complex concept in more understandable terms?” I have found using creative and dynamic way of communicating the message can go a long way. During the groups, we use multimedia, drawing, poems, analogies, etc. The group facilitators have made a great effort to adjust the information we present in sessions and have been welcoming of suggestions to promote learning as well.
Another area I noticed was a challenge for me for some time was my own confidence facilitating topics related to anger management. Through practice, and taking the opportunities to facilitate classes, I have become more comfortable and confident in my ability to address these topics. The key for me has been trying, despite fear or self-doubt at times.
Lastly, through the group facilitation process I have been able to address my own assumptions of participants of such groups. It has been a very humbling and enriching experience. There is often stigma surrounding issues of domestic violence, especially when working with people who have utilized violence toward a family member or loved one. I have come to believe judgment comes from a lack of understanding. As I have done this work, I know I can offer support, share corrective ways to approach difficult situations, and develop understanding and compassion for the struggles participants may have experienced when less resources were available to them.
What’s the best part of volunteering? Share your most memorable experience.
The best part of being a volunteer in Fairfax County has been to learn participants’ stories and challenges, noticing how they increase access to their own resilience to overcome such challenges, and witnessing positive changes that occur through such programs. Hearing firsthand how the program helps them in their day-to-day is the most rewarding part of my experience as a volunteer.
What has been your favorite training? What did you like about it? What did you learn?
My favorite trainings have been the Tier 1 and 2 trainings. When I first joined these trainings, I learned a lot about the dynamics that can lead to domestic violence. I appreciated the science behind reactions to traumatic experiences, and the challenges the lack of this understanding can create for survivors. I also appreciated the stories of success from the ADAPT program. Such presentations used a strength-based approach to present the challenges, and often traumatic
events participants have encountered throughout their life that have led them to use and justify abusive behaviors toward a loved one. In the trainings I learned how important it is to have compassion toward people who have acted in hurtful ways as they learn to take responsibility for their actions, access their own strengths and connect with their true sense of self-worth, contributing to their healing and corrective process.
What advice do you have for people who may be thinking about becoming a DSVS volunteer?
I highly recommend people to become a DSVS volunteer. My advice would be to bring an open mind and be willing to learn from the people you serve as a volunteer and let these experiences shape you in the process.
What do you wish you could do more of as a volunteer?
In my role as a volunteer, I have taken advantage of the opportunities I’ve had so far. I have been able to feel connected with members of the various groups and have used and improved my facilitation skills. I am satisfied with the flexibility provided by facilitators to help me focus on topics that are of interest to me while fulfilling the program curriculum.
This article posting is part of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services' Volunteer Voices monthly newsletter for current and potential volunteers. If you're not already a volunteer, learn how to get involved. Find out about upcoming trainings, volunteer trainings, happenings around the DSVS office and information about articles, books, media recommendations and more.
Learn more about the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS).