At Journey Center, we believe that everyone deserves to live in a safe environment, free from fear and abuse. Our mission aligns perfectly with the White Ribbon Campaign, which is the largest global initiative focused on men working to end violence against women. Together, we are committed to making a significant impact by promoting awareness, education, and community engagement.
Our 24-Hour Helpline, and Helpline Advocates are, - first and foremost - a space where survivors can go to seek safety, receive emotional support, and connections to resources. As Helpline Advocates, we actively listen to an individual’s story to help determine how we can best work with them and their unique needs and circumstances.
The holidays can be a bittersweet time for many, but for survivors of domestic violence, it can be particularly challenging. It's essential to prioritize your well-being during this season. Here are some tips to help you navigate the holidays with resilience and strength.
Youth Advocates provide daily groups and activities for children in our Shelter, providing an opportunity to feel safe while residing Shelter and learning healthy skills to cope and process their experiences. Groups include a Journaling Group, Homework Club, Open Art Studio, Music Exploration, and Sensory Group. Additionally, Youth Advocates plan birthday parties for all children, and have a “Ticket Store” for youth, which is an opportunity for children to earn tickets and make a purchase at the “Ticket Store”.
In a world that often prioritizes productivity over well-being, the concept of self-care can feel like a luxury rather than a necessity. While it may seem simple, many find it challenging to prioritize self-care. Let’s explore why self-care is important and how you can incorporate it positively into your life.
Whether someone is in their relationship, has left, or is unsure what steps they will take—we are here. However, friends and family are an important support as well. How can you provide support to someone you love and care about?
Victims stay for a variety of reasons; and it’s important to remember that their decision-making process often involves numerous factors rooted in fear, love, hope, and survival. Understanding these dynamics is necessary for supporting survivors and encouraging a more caring and supportive conversation about domestic violence.
Recognizing domestic violence is an essential step in addressing and preventing this issue that affects individuals across all demographics and communities. It’s often displayed in various forms, including physical, emotional, financial, digital, and sexual. Recognizing these forms of abuse and being able to spot red flags and warning signs of abuse is the first step toward breaking the cycle and seeking help.
At its core, domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to gain and maintain power and control over another. To better understand the different types of domestic violence, let's explore its various forms: verbal and emotional abuse, financial abuse, digital abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse.
Friendships among women hold a unique place in our social circles. These relationships provide essential emotional support, shared experiences, and a great understanding that can only come from those who have faced similar challenges. Women’s friendships can be particularly critical during times of stress, personal transformation, or loss. A friend can lend an empathetic ear or offer advice and encouragement.
As a Bilingual Community Advocate with Journey Center’s Latina Domestic Violence Project, I look forward to coming into work each day grateful that I can make a difference in the lives of individuals and families in our community.
Everyone has a role to play in helping to end domestic violence. If you suspect abuse or have witnessed a family member being abusive in their relationship, it can be difficult to know what to do. You may love your family member, but you know that what they’re doing is harmful to their partner. You may want to help but are scared to lose the relationship with them or you may feel as though it is not your place to step in.
Monday is typically a day full of contacting clients, checking in and seeing how clients are doing, connecting them with services and resources, and completing intakes for our Education Classes. With that comes documentation and entering information into our database. Monday is also the day I prepare for all the classes (Domestic Violence Education Classes and ACT Parenting) that I have for the remainder of the week.
No two days in Shelter are alike. The only thing you know for certain walking through the doors of the Shelter is that you will be helping other human beings work through one of the hardest things one can experience. It all starts with a call.
I start my day with a mix of engaging with clients and preparing for my shift. As I walk in the front doors of Shelter, I interact with the children and parents by saying “hi” or asking how their day is going before heading to the office for our shift change.
While Pride Month often serves as a fun, vibrant celebration, it can also be an opportunity to recognize and support those in the LGBTQIA+ community who are victims and survivors of abuse. Domestic violence is not limited to heterosexual relationships and can affect individuals of all sexual orientations and genders. Within the LGBTQIA+ community, domestic violence occurs at a rate equal to or even higher than that of the heterosexual community.
We all deserve a green flag relationship. Green flags as the name suggests are positive indicators of yourself or others. It’s a reflection of your relationship with yourself. They help you identify what you need to improve on, what you succeed in and how far you’ve come in your self-reflection journey. These indicators also help you identify the steps needed to achieve a healthy and long-lasting relationship with yourself.
Survivors of domestic violence often endure severe consequences such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse, which can significantly disrupt their lives in multiple ways. At Journey Center, we are dedicated to supporting survivors on their mental health journeys.
Experiencing abuse as a child can have serious, long-term effects on an individual. There are many factors that play into how abuse affects a child including the child’s age and developmental level when the abuse occurred. Children who are abused and neglected may suffer immediate physical injuries such as cuts, bruises, or broken bones. They may also have emotional and psychological problems, such as anxiety or posttraumatic stress.
The first step in helping children who have been abused or neglected is learning to recognize the signs of child abuse. The presence of a single sign does not necessarily mean that abuse is occurring in a family, but a closer look at the situation may be warranted when these signs appear repeatedly or in combination.
If a child you know or care about is experiencing child abuse you may not know what to do or what to say. However, when a child talks to you about the abuse they are facing it is important to listen and to act in a way that supports the child while keeping them protected.
Each year, approximately 304 million children between the ages of 3-17 are at risk of exposure to domestic violence. Although many children who experience abuse do not become violent later in life, there is a substantial risk that violence in the family is transferred from generation to generation.
Child abuse and neglect are serious public health issues that affect millions of children each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year in the United States.
Brain Injury Awareness Month is a dedicated period for recognizing the causes and raising awareness to eliminate the stigma surrounding brain injuries. It is also a time to recognize those with brain injuries related to domestic violence and let them know they are not alone. Violence directed at the head, neck, and face can have long-lasting consequences. Any time you are hurt in this way, it should be taken seriously.
Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture, and society held annually in March. This years theme is: “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion”, recognizing women, past and present, who understand that, for a positive future, we need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions.
Each February, Journey Center raises awareness about teen dating violence through Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM). This annual effort focuses on advocacy and education to stop dating abuse before it starts. This is an issue that impacts everyone, not just teens, but their parents, friends and communities as well. This year’s theme, “Love Like That,” amplifies the voices of teens and young adults by supporting and uplifting positive, healthy, and safe relationships and calls on all of us to create a world free of relationship abuse.
Black History Month is a time to celebrate and honor the achievements of Black Americans and their central role in U.S. history. In honor of Black History Month, Journey Center want honors Black activists who have impacted the gender-based violence movement.
These are just a few of the influential Black voices who have made history as part of the anti-violence movement. Journey Center is grateful to these, and many other, Black activists for leading the way.
Every year, we set aside the month of January in support of the millions of people across the country who are survivors of stalking. National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM) is an annual call to action to recognize and respond to the serious crime of stalking.
Stalking is a form of gender-based violence and frequently co-occurs within domestic violence. Stalking is defined as a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.
Coping with trauma looks different for everyone. Learning healthy coping strategies will not only help you feel stronger mentally and emotionally, if you or someone you care about has experienced or been impacted by abuse, but they can also lessen your chances of experiencing abuse in the future.
The holiday season is approaching, and while many of us look forward to celebrating with family and friends, this time of year can present some unique challenges for individuals and families impacted by or experiencing domestic violence. It’s hard to be surrounded by joy when you’re healing from trauma.