Last Day in Knoxville

Hey y'all,
Today is definitely bittersweet. I've had the most amazing time on this trip, and just can't stand knowing that this week is coming to an end. We really did finish it strong though by spending the afternoon at the Smoky Mountains. We hiked to Abrams Falls. The view the entire way was beyond beautiful. The best part though was spending our last day with each other just having fun. Sitting at the top of the falls was a great reminder of just how precious every day is in this great big beautiful world.

At the beginning of the trip when we all piled into the van for out seven hour car ride (aka bonding session and dance party) I was so nervous about how the week would go. I can now confidently answer the Sam's question though; yes we are going to be friends. I cannot imagine a better group of people to have shared this experience with. 

This trip was easily the most impactful experience of my two years at Maryland. Immersing myself in everything Knoxville had to offer has been great. There are so many systems here in place to tackle domestic violence that I would love to see in Maryland. Working at the YWCA and Phyllis Wheatley Center especially opened my eyes to how important it is to act locally. The trip has also been so personally empowering. Tonight we all wrote down ways that we can continue making a difference and becoming educated when we return to College Park. Some of us want to be peer educators, some want to find a local YWCA, and some of us want to be more involved in the legal system. No matter which path we take, what we learned this week will definitely stick with us. 

As we continue our journeys through college, I know this trip will always hold a special place in my heart. It very much challenged my ideas about the legal system, how our government looks at women, fairness, justice, and judgement. It has also given me invaluable friendships. At school it is so easy to get caught up in meetings and homework, and stop learning. Going back though, I feel inspired to really live out each day and learn. We are capable of making a change and finding happiness only if we live every moment to its fullest potential.

Thank you Club Knox for everything you have taught me. The warm and fuzzies are never ending <3

Hello!

My name is Mariela Cruz and I am a Senior Criminology and Criminal Justice Major graduating this May! I have no idea where life will lead me next but I do hope to be able to make a positive difference in people's lives. In the broad field of criminal justice I am very interested in domestic violence which is what led me to come on this trip.

Coming to Knoxville has been a great, rewarding experience from learning more about domestic violence, to helping other organizations like the YWCA to hiking at Ijams. Two specific activities that have been especially rewarding to me have been volunteering at the YWCA center and attending an all-Spanish session for Latina women who have experienced domestic violence.

Quilt with positive messages decorated a hall at the YWCA

On Tuesday, we went to Downtown Knoxville to help around YWCA. We did different tasks such as painting, cleaning, organizing, putting together care packages of toiletries for the female residents and attaching purple ribbons to their cards (purple is the color that represents domestic violence). Although, we were not directly working with survivors, it was a truly rewarding experience to know that we were helping those who directly help these women.

We also walked around asking businesses to post up flyers with YWCA's number and contact info. We were told to tape them in women's restrooms because many might not feel comfortable ripping off a number openly and publicly.
















On Wednesday evening, Jen, Alex, and I had the opportunity to attend the all-Spanish support group for Latina women at the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center. This experience was especially impactful to me as a Latina, and coming from an extremely large Latino population that is the Washington D.C. Metro Area. I do not know if we have something like this is DC, or MD, at least not in Montgomery County and I feel like it would be so beneficial and necessary to have a safe, comfortable environment for not only Latinas but for all minority women as well. They started with an ice-breaker as well as letting out anything that happened for them in the past week. The women discussed personal issues that involved their children as well as work. Then we began the topic of the week. Each week, they work and discuss a different topic. This week's topic focused on boundaries that are necessary to have for all types of relationships (partner, children, coworkers, friends, parents) and about what each person has as personal rights. The facilitator Maria stressed the importance of everyone being able to recognize our rights and but limits to those who try to violate them. Most women seemed to feel that their children needed the less amount of limits. I was able to speak my mind as to why I felt limits are definitely necessary for children coming from a daughter's perspective with my mom. While some agreed with me, some felt that they should not put limits on their children because of the few time they spend with them. One woman also felt that she needed several limits on her parents because she felt that if she didn't, they would impose too much in her life (in a negative way). Overall, it was great to see these women feel comfortable with us and allow us to learn more about them and their individual situations. It was a great session, and I hope to see something like this in my own community soon.

My Rights

1. I have the right to say NO!

2. I have the right to not be abused.

3. I have the right to express my anger.

4. I have the right to change my life.

5. I have the right to be free of abuse.

6. I have the right to ask for help from police and social services.

7. I have the right to want to be a good example of communication for my children.

8. I have the right to privacy.

9. I have the right to raise my children safely.

10. I have the right to be treated like an adult and with respect.

11. I have the right to a leave an abusive environment.

12. I have the right to live safely.

13. I have the right to express my talents.

14. I have the right to be protected by law from my abuser.

15. I have the right to earn and manage my own finances.

16. I have the right to make my own decisions about my life.

17. I have the right to change my mind.

18. I have the right for others to have faith in me and be valued.

19. I have the right to make mistakes.

20. I have the right to love and be loved.

21. I have the right to put myself first.

22. I have the right to be ME.

Club Knox Day 5

Hey all, it’s Lexi again blogging about club knox! It was especially difficult to wake up this morning after staying up past 1am reflecting and discussing each other’s celebrity-look-a-likes (shout out to Jake aka Shamwow guy).

We started the day by traveling to the Salvation Army woman’s shelter and we were pleasantly surprised to receive a very generous breakfast spread with fruit, croissants, pastries, and COFFEE. We then got to hear from Ms. Natasha about how the shelter works and how women who have suffered from domestic violence often get a higher priority for getting into this shelter. We got a tour of the facility, and I was really surprised by how nice it was and learned about how they help these women move into more permanent housing. I also really liked the fact that the women who stayed there were also able to bring their children. One of the most eye opening parts of this experience was when two women who were staying in the shelter told us their story. They did not appear to be women that one would expect to find in a homeless shelter, but they had both left their abusive partners to escape domestic violence. They also wanted desperately to have their own home and start fresh in a safe environment. After touring both the women and men’s shelters, we got the chance to lie outside and bask in the sun. Seriously, it was glorious. We all got to take a little nap while lying in the grass, and then we woke up to have lunch (our fav…PB&Js).

Next, we returned to the Phyllis Wheatley Center to paint the mural they were displaying, and we got to play with tons of kids! Many children from the local church also came to the center today. We had our hands full playing basketball, playing on scooters, jump roping, hula hooping and more! I especially loved getting the talk to the kids while watching Despicable Me 2 (I LOVE MINIONS).

Afterwards we spent the day walking around Market Square in Knoxville. We got some awesome sales at Urban Outfitters and also got Rita’s! It was so nice to just be outdoors and walk around the city. Then we enjoyed some relaxing time before dinner and feasted on our last “sustainable” dinner of the trip. Later we did reflection, and again it was an great time to come together, and I truly feel so lucky to have experienced this trip with everyone. Next stop, the Smokey Mountains! 

Visiting The Salvation Army Shelter

Visiting the shelter today was a really interesting experience. I saw all different types of people from all backgrounds struggling to get their lives together and making the best out of a situation for themselves and their children. It was really sad to see some of the situations people are really in. I really got a grasp of the life in Tennessee for these people and it saddens me to see them this way. I wish I got the chance to ask more questions about the shelter but I unfortunately couldn't bring myself to bring it up in conversation.

The trip so far has been such a great learning experience overall and I really am glad to have met such amazing people. Everyone is so friendly, funny, and great to be around and I'm really happy we're all such great friends. This is one of the best things about trips like these. Meeting new people and sharing these experiences with them is great!

Day 4 of the Knoxville Adventure

I apologize for this being a little late, I was tasked with blogging about Wednesday but I've been too exhausted every night to right my post. So here it is! My name is Jen Mallinoff and I am a sophomore at UMD. I am studying Environmental Science and Policy and Spanish Linguistics and Culture. My academic studies do not relate to Domestic Violence however I have a personal interest in recognizing and addressing the issue.

Wednesday was our fourth day here, our third day of service. We had an exciting start with a self defense class at the University of TN in downtown Knoxville. Although we had some trouble navigating our way around the huge campus, we eventually found the University Center where we were taking the class. Two campus police officers led the class and taught basic self defense to the girls in our group. We learned how to escape choke holds, being held by your wrists, and being pinned to the ground. We were easily able to escape each others' grasps but I was skeptical about escaping a strong man's grip. But to my surprise, the male cop teaching the class grabbed my wrists and I was even able to release myself from him.

After the class, we drove to the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center. The center holds after-school programs for middle school students that live in the community. We helped with various spring cleaning tasks while we were there. I helped clean out their trailer to prepare it for use as a classroom. Other students spent time with several students that were there or helped clean and organize other classrooms.

After volunteering, we went back to the church where we are sleeping and had a giant breakfast for dinner with the congregation. We had eggs, bacon, hash browns, biscuits, and gravy. Everything was delicious and the people in the community were extremely welcoming and friendly. Southern hospitality truly does exist.

As the final event of the night, I was extremely fortunate to go back to the Phyllis Wheatley Center to attend a group session for Latina women that are victims of domestic abuse. I participated in the session with two other members of our group, Mariela and Alex. The theme of the session involved personal limits and boundaries in relationships that we each have in our lives. While the women began by discussing their weeks and various issues with their significant others, the topic quickly developed into a discussion of other relationships that we have, with our parents, coworkers, and friends for example. The women discussed what types of limits they have in each of these types of relationships. Maria, the leader of the session, explained that while it is important to have varying degrees of boundaries with people in our lives, we must remember to put ourselves and our well-being above everything else. In addition, Maria encouraged the women to become empowered in other ways, such as learning English and driving, in order to feel self-worth and strong. The final message of the session was lead a healthy lifestyle by having boundaries in some form with everyone in your life so that you have the ability to still be an individual with your own goals. I felt extremely empowered by the session and was proud of myself for understanding everything that was spoken since it was in Spanish!

So that was another long and exciting day for our trip! Only one more left.

UMD Welcomes UT

Hello everyone. My name is David Lee, and I'm a sophomore, majoring in biological studies. I am currently taking a class on Asian American literature, which I LOVE, and am figuring out what I want to actually do with my life.

So today, we did a lot of things. We went to the Blount County jail to sit in on some hearings on domestic violence and hiked around the Ijams. It was all very interesting and a lot of fun, but we capped off the day welcoming the alternative spring break students from the University of Tennessee. I wore my UT shirt and let my Vol spirit fly.

Everyone from the UT was so friendly. Southern hospitality is a real thing. Conversation was never awkward and everyone was extremely nice. We talked about everything that groups of college students talk about when meeting for the first time. What your major? What do you do in school? What's there to do in town? One little tidbit I'd like to share is football. Everything you've heard about Tennessee football is probably an understatement. Tailgates start at 10 am. 150,000 people crammed into the campus. When touchdowns are scored, EVERYONE knows. When Saturday rolls around, Neyland Stadium is the fifth biggest city in Tennessee. I was sitting there amazed at them rolling these statistics at me.

While I don't know if I could ever go to a huge football school like the UT, some of the things I heard tonight make it sound really appealing.

The Adventure Continues!!!

Hello!

My name is Shabnam Ahmed and I am a Freshman at the University of Maryland working towards creating my own major through the Individual Studies program, I would call it Global Health & Development.

It's really amazing how in the course of a week a group of individuals who knew nothing about each other can develop such strong connections, friendships, and experiences. We all felt a sense of community and responsibility in understanding Domestic Violence and it definitely showed- from our immense engagement in daily activities to our in-depth reflection sections.

Today in particular we visited the Blunt County Court House, witnessed some hearings and experienced a Judge distribute many Orders of Protection for such cases. My most memorable experience of the day however was touring the jail, seeing the prisoners and understanding the police officer's reactions and attitudes towards these prisoners. It was an eye-opening experience for many of us and made me reconsider a lot of my preconceived notions about crime, law, and justice. It is difficult to explain in one blog post the effect that this experience has had on me,and how it has opened my eyes, heart, and mind to domestic issues. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience this kind of reality and be able to grow as an individual as a result.

#clubknox