October is domestic violence awareness month (DVAM), and I am completing my internship at a domestic violence agency in Massachusetts. There are a multitude of events that are coming up for HAWC this month. On October 1st, I attended the proclamation in Gloucester, MA. There are also upcoming proclamations in Salem, MA, and Beverly, MA on 10/15 and 10/18, respectively. The idea is that the mayor, who has established themselves as an ally, proclaims that their city/town supports survivors and stands against domestic abuse. Importantly, these types of events empower survivors and publicly demonstrate to them that they are valued, cared for, and deserve to be heard in and by their community. Prior to the event, I simply anticipated the mayor standing behind a podium on the front steps of Gloucester's City Hall, reading off the proclamation. I imagined that we would be standing at the bottom of the steps, to display support of the proclamation and of DVAM. My envisionment of this event was completely off, and I am so glad that it was.
This particular event was important to me because it kicked off DVAM on a positive note, and empowered me in a way I did not think was possible. Listening to the mayor and other public allies read off the proclamation to community members, and to stand among Gloucester residents who hold the same values as I do regarding domestic abuse was absolutely incredible. While the event only lasted an hour or so, I went home that night knowing that I am in the right field and at the right internship site; instead of doing the same tasks each day, I have been able to explore all aspects of HAWC's agency. I have measured and folded quilts for our shelter, I have shadowed client intakes, I have participated in various events and meetings, and I have completed projects for our executive director. The Gloucester proclamation was truly the perfect way to kickoff DVAM, and I am so excited for both the Beverly and Salem proclamations in the coming weeks.
The employees at HAWC find various ways to balance their work life and home life. In our profession, self-care is as important as caring for our clients. We often reference the airplane oxygen mask example that essentially argues that you must save yourself before you can save other people. In our field, and especially in HAWC's agency, this applies each and every day. To accomplish this, there are frequent staff outings to restaurants/paint nights/other recreational events, there is a powerful support system internally, and self-care is strongly encouraged. Forms of self-care that I have noticed some of our employees engage in is listening to music, taking walks out of the office, grabbing a coffee or snack from the cafe upstairs, spending a few extra minutes talking about unrelated topics with one another, and other small things outside of the workplace. Mental health days are also ways that our agency supports its staff members. I have found that despite the intensity of the work we do, our office is not stressful. I am very grateful to be interning with HAWC and look forward to the rest of the semester because this mission is important to me and knowing we are serving our communities beyond internal services is crucial. If we don't stand for social change, we are simply putting band-aids on the issue. Truly changing the realities of so many people's lives behind closed doors starts with change on a macro level, and HAWC is working to do just that-- and has been for 40 years.
