Survivor Voices: You Are Not Alone
Becky “beBE” Bearse, a survivor, recounts the harrowing journey that led her to REACH.
Author: Guest Blogger
The Healing Power of Dance, by Oneself and In Community
For one survivor, healing came when she embraced what she’s always loved: dance.
Acknowledging the Mental Scars of Domestic Violence
*Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we wanted to share this blog post written by one of the survivors REACH has worked with as part of our Survivor Speakers’ Bureau. Writing about mental health and abuse is like writing about being nauseated with a stomach virus. They go hand in hand. When my dad died when I was 18, it was the first time I…
The Invisible Benefits of Being a REACH Volunteer
Special thanks to Lisa Daigle who wrote the following piece based on her experience as a REACH volunteer. For those who may be unfamiliar with the Invisible String Theory (first presented in the children’s book ‘The Invisible String’ by Patrice Karst), it basically posits that people can be connected to other people or organizations by an unbreakable, invisible string. At some point, destiny prevails, the stars…
My Trauma Wounded Me, But it Did Not Silence Me
The Survivor Speaker’s Bureau (SSB) of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence is based on a social justice model in which REACH staff and volunteers work with community members, community agencies, educational institutions, and youth to raise community awareness and understanding of domestic violence to create positive change by encouraging individuals to reflect on their selves and their relationships with individuals and the community. This blog post was…
Survivor Voices: Finding the Courage to Leave
By Maya*, REACH Survivor Speakers Bureau “I knew I had to leave…it was the only way my son and I would ever be safe.” Those are the words I spoke when I sat down with REACH staff during my initial intake. For most people, deciding to leave can seem like such a simple thing. If you don’t want to be somewhere, you turn around and you…
How my REACH Beyond Domestic Violence Internship Changed my Views on Policy Work
Blog by Emma Keeling I have always said that I dislike policy. I never had solid grounds for this argument, but something about staring at a document for hours and picking apart every piece of language seemed boring to me. Although as a Public Health major I knew how important policies were, I avoided policy work and instead took a more downstream and educational approach to…
Longing for a safe space
Time and time again, this country has shown black Americans that they do not have a safe space. Not when walking home with a bag of skittles, not when playing with nerf guns at the park, not when getting pulled over by police, and not when sound asleep in their own apartment.
Why comprehensive, medically accurate, and LGBTQ+ inclusive sex ed matters to me
Incorporating comprehensive sex education, like the Healthy Youth Act is proposing to ensure, would have many benefits; I want to share three benefits that feel especially meaningful to me.
Reflecting on my Internship
This past summer has taught me a lot about confidence and self-reflection.
