This week’s blog is a guest post from Sala, a recent graduate from Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management with a Master’s degree in International Development. Sala interned at REACH this past academic year and completed a research project on International Approaches to Ending Violence Against Women: A Comparative Study of Ghana and the United States. I was so excited when I received…
By Tamia Burkett Everyone is constantly seeking ways to support their loved ones during their time of need. Whether it be a friend with depression, a partner that is suicidal or a sibling that has been locked in their room for weeks. At times this can be frustrating. Maybe the advice you gave them, they didn’t take? Or maybe they did not do what you thought…
This week’s blog is a guest post from “Melissa,” a participant in REACH’s Community Program and a member of our Survivor Speakers Burea. On the first year after my split from my abusive marriage, I barely could survive and keep up with my bills. The idea of going through the Christmas season and celebrating was the last thing on my mind. So when I received a…
Throughout the month of October (Domestic Violence Awareness Month), REACH has been sharing content on the theme of “Creating Space for Change.” As Director of Prevention Programs Jessica Teperow shared earlier this week, the spaces we try to create are not so much physical spaces (although those ARE important and making a big difference!) but spaces for connection, transformation, and sometimes even laughter. As we look…
Back in April, we brought you a piece from a new volunteer named Sumana, who had just completed her extended volunteer training with REACH. We thought we’d check in with her and see how her first few months of volunteering have gone. In my first three months as a REACH volunteer, I have the privilege of serving in two different capacities: first providing childcare for survivors’…
by Janiah Every summer, REACH runs a training for peer leaders at Waltham High School as part of our teen dating violence prevention program. The training is taking place this week, and to tell you about it, we’re sharing this reflection written by one of our seniors after the 2016 training. This summer I attended my second year of summer training for PAVE (Peers Against ViolencE,…
by Melinda*, REACH Survivor Speakers Bureau Recently I heard myself laugh and I was shocked and amazed. I thought, “Who is this person? Wow I recognize her, I recognize that laugh!” You see, I was not allowed to laugh for years and it took me close to 3 years after I separated from my husband to allow myself to laugh. In my abusive relationship, my husband…
As the school year comes to a close, we are saying goodbye to Emily, who is a Brandeis student who interned with us helping to run our Peers Against ViolencE (PAVE) program. Before she left, we asked her to reflect on what she’s learned over the past year. This is what she had to say. In the fall of 2016, my junior year, I joined…
By Colleen Armstrong, PEAR (Prevention, Education, Advocacy and Response) Program Coordinator at Salem State University and former Education Program Manager at REACH. Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass health care legislation designed to roll back many facets of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”) and implement a new system, the American Health Care Act (AHCA). This latest version of the bill allows…
By Sumana The spring edition of REACH’s extended training for new staff and volunteers just concluded, and we asked new volunteer Sumana to share her experience with you. I was eager to volunteer in support of domestic violence survivors, but knew next to nothing of what that entailed.
