Domestic Violence Awareness Month #1Thing

It's Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Domestic Violence Awareness Project (DVAP) developed a unified message around #1Thing. Change can start with only #1Thing. One person’s actions may seem insignificant, but together a communities' collective “#1Things” can lead to real social transformation.

The #1 Thing I am doing in support of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, is volunteering at my local domestic violence shelter, DVCC. As part of their Peace Works program we teach self regulation techniques to kindergarten and first graders in the Stamford Public School District.

I trained before as a hotline volunteer for the local domestic violence and rape shelter in college over 20 years ago. The training was such an eye opener as to how society treats gender roles, how these gender roles lead to DV, what constitutes sexual assault and just how prevalent these issues are.

Who would have guessed, I'd later rely on these and many other resources I'd learned on the job, in order to gain the skills I'd need to break free from an unhealthy relationship. Amazing it happened after the training!

From the many lessons I'd learned, one of the biggest was I can help others but need to maintain healthy boundaries. So when I start at the shelter I am opting out of direct contact with clients/ victims at least initially, but will help on other projects.

I have offered to teach yoga and meditation to the staff, help out on special projects or just pitch in around the office. I'll start with small. That is what #1Thing is about after all.

More about this awareness campaign:

#1Thing Key Messages The #1Thing that will end domestic violence is our collective power. Healing from domestic violence requires our collective One Things. We can all do #1Thing towards eradicating domestic violence. Sharing our stories can have a ripple effect and can inspire others to action. Our collective One Things are valuable for systems advocacy.