As I sit in my community work course every week, and read the text from our “Community Practice” book I question what it really means to do community work. Thus far our course assignments and class discussions have only given me a very small glimpse of ways in which to see or do community activism, mostly which consist of cyber assignments. I am still seeking tangible or relevant examples of what community work looks like in my own community, or further developing my practical skills in application of community organizing. As my classmates bantered back in forth in class last week on how to go about organizing and uploading a class assignment of adding a class definition to Wikipedia, it downed on me that my course work in my undergraduate degree provided me with exactly what I felt had been missing in this course. I instantly reflected back on my own experiences of what I think a piece of community work could look like. For my senior project in my undergraduate studies, I organized a Take Back the Night rally and candle light vigil for my community of Prescott, Az. As I thought about the achievement I had accomplished many years ago, I slowly began to remember all the pieces that came together to organize this event. Although my experience of community work is not reflective or representational of an agency, or organization, nor of service delivery or client contact, it was providing a voice to often silent experiences of discrimination and oppression.
In order to graduate, we are asked to design a senior project that demonstrated our depth, understanding, and proficiency in our chosen field of study. I had designed my own competency studies in human development with an emphasis in gender studies, and I knew I wanted a hands-on project that would involve and give back to my community. I remember brain-storming with my faculty advisor, and came up with the idea to bridge my interests in gender studies with a community outreach project. A take Back the Night event used to take place in Prescott many years prior, but no one had continued to organize this event. Fortunately during the same semester that I was putting together my senior project, I was also taking a Women’s Psychology course taught by my advisor. We decided that one of the course assignments would be to help me organize this project. I facilitated tasks that I needed assistance in making this project happen, and worked with my classmates in getting them done. I put together student committees to help me, which included: getting food donations for a reception after the event, deigning and printing t-shirt logo, gathering musicians and speakers, organizing the candle light vigil and ceremony at the end, and assisting in flyer distribution and advertisement.
I saw a need to bring awareness to the community about violence and oppression against women. I began to gather information and research what other communities have done to organize this kind of event, as well as researching issues and work done around violence, and sexualized violence against women and children. I also began to build a resources list of community partners that may be interested in supporting the event, or by tabling a booth to represent their resources/services in the community. I made phone calls, sent out letters, met with individuals, and held a community meeting to discuss ideas and concerns. The main concern that came up in one of the meetings was providing support services for individuals who attend the event and may experience triggering events or thoughts of their own experiences surrounding sexualized violence. Counselors at school and community providers offered to be available if needed.
I remember that I also put together a small grant proposal to the student union counsel at my school requesting funding for my project, which was granted. I had a vision to make t-shirts for the event, and to sell them and donate the profits to the local domestic violence shelter as another way to give back to the community. In the end, I was able to donate over $500 to the shelter.
As the keynote speaker, musicians, poets, etc came together, other logistical and safety considerations that were brought to my attention. I needed to obtain and pay for a permit to hold the vent on our town square, and I also need to notify law enforcement.Eventually it all came together, and the vent took place late April.
Part of my intention and goal for this senior project, besides bringing more awareness around issues of violence, was to produce a binder of resources and how-to’s on putting on this event that I could leave with the school after I graduated, in hopes that other students or classes would take on this project annually.As far as I know, the Psychology of Women's course now organizes this event annually.
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