Travel Day and Looking Forward

Yesterday was an incredible day and spoke to the dedication and spirit of everyone on our experience. After such an incredible week of work, I knew I was exhausted. From leaving the church parking lot at 9am and the last bags hitting the ground at home past 9pm you would think it was a long, monotonous day. That couldn't be even further from the truth. From contagious laughter filling the car to our Dunkin run to the group mission to see everyone head home safe and warm, there isn't a group I would have rather traveled with.

There was no formal reflection or service yesterday, but that doesn't mean the group's dedication to service learning has ended. During our last formal reflection we talked about activation -- the continuation of the energy and inspiration from this week into our communities back home. It was a busy week, and before we jump right back into school work and college life, it was nice to take a moment to look forward. After sharing our hopes, dreams, and aspirations with each other, it was great to be able to put everything in the context of service -- what we can do moving forward. And with each other's support, I know that we can continue to inspire each other to serve with smiles on our faces. We have learned that talking about social issues as complex as domestic violence is important -- the complexity shouldn't scare us away but rather encourage to approach it from a variety of perspectives.

With movie nights, post-trip service, snapchat, and the AB reunion in the works I am so happy that I will get to continue to work with this amazing group of individuals (rt if you cried).  So this isn't the last from us. Think of it as another beginning.

First day to last day (for now)

- Shannon

#FunFriday Final day! ( Insert sad face here)

Bystander Intervention training at the UT

Wow, we can't believe this week is over already! Today we spent the earlier part of the morning at the University of Tennessee participating in the Bystander Intervention Workshop, facilitated by the Health and Wellness Center. Our facilitator, Billie, was very engaging and excited to teach us how to become active bystanders. For those that don't know what a Bystander Intervention is, essentially it educates us on how to recognize red flags and how to appropriately intervene so as to prevent a problematic situation from unfolding. After this lovely experience, we were given free t-shirts, which was the cherry on top!


Next on our journey, we embarked on a trip to the Smoky Mountains! We were impressed by the scenic view on our drive, so we were certainly excited about the hike ahead. We parked our vehicles at Cades Cove and trekked 5 miles (roundtrip) on the Abram Falls trail, which was a moderately difficult trail. While on our hike, we were able to enjoy the nature around us, as well as reflect on our week. We struggled walking uphill, traversed through tree roots, rocks, and mud -- with the ultimate goal of reaching the waterfall!

This view is everything!

The struggle was worth this view!!

Emilie and our fabulous Staff Advisor, Mika! 

<3

All in all, it was a great way to end our week of teamwork!

Lastly, we spent our final gathering as a group at Tupelo Honey -- a restaurant located in downtown Knoxville. This restaurant specializes in southern-style cuisine, which was a type of food that we were craving all week. The best part is that Tupelo Honey was able to accommodate the various dietary needs of our entire group. The food exceeded our expectations, and the fellowship was enjoyed by all!

The celebration dinner at Tupelo Honey was delicious :)

Overall, the day was everything we had hoped for, but undeniably bittersweet. Yet, during reflection, we ensured that we would continue to stay connected once we returned to campus; and most importantly, we vowed to make change within our communities and strive to become active citizens, as it relates to the issue of domestic/relationship violence.

Thanks for reading!
~Mika and Emilio

Trisha aka T-dogg

Hi everyone!
I'm Trisha and this is my second Alternative Break! I'm a junior Physiology and Neurobiology major with a minor in Human Development and am on the pre-med track. Some fun facts about me include that I love Chipotle unconditionally (even during the E. coli scare) and that I'm obsessed with basketball (go Celtics!). I'm really excited to meet new people on this trip and do everything that our incredible Experience Leaders have planned for us! I really love to immerse myself in the world around me and have a desire to learn about issues related to social justice so that I can educate myself and raise awareness around me. Specifically, domestic violence is one issue I am very passionate about and feel extremely blessed to have the opportunity to go on this trip and learn more about it. I hope you enjoy reading our blog and joining us on this journey!

#TastyThursday - Blount County Courthouse/Jailhouse & IJAMS Nature Park

Hey y'all! We started this tasty Thursday early with a tour of the Blount County Jailhouse led by Sheriff Dudley. Though it isn't maximum security, it conducted itself like one; for example, the only entertainment that inmates are allowed are a pair of headphones that they must purchase themselves and the last time they went outside was November. The jailhouse was built to house about 350 inmates, but it currently holds about 500, of which 90 are women. This experience was a first for most of us; we were uncomfortable about some of the inmates staring at us, especially knowing what some of them are charged with.

After our tour, we sat in on a domestic violence docket presided over by Judge Headrick, who is very passionate about his work and very stern with defendants. We watched several cases involving restraining orders and crimes related to domestic violence, such as theft and drug abuse. It was interesting to see the diversity of the people who experience domestic violence, both as perpetrators and victims. Afterwards, we were able to speak with Judge Headrick about the cases we had seen and ask him questions. The most interesting thing that we learned from asking him questions is that he often sees the same people come into his courtroom multiple times. While he was talking with us, Judge Headrick was very friendly and funny, which contrasted with his working demeanor.

Team Knoxville posing with Judge Headrick in his courtroom. Fun fact: he does NOT like the Internet!

Next, we visited the IJAMS (eye-ams) Nature Park, where we went on the River Boardwalk. We saw many dogs (Jill was very excited about them) and a lot of beautiful scenery, including wonderful views of the Tennessee River. It also gave us a small preview of what we will be doing tomorrow at the Smoky Mountains. About half of us enjoyed the hills that we climbed, the other half reacted less favorably.

Emilio and Megan standing at the entrance of IJAMS.

Our team climbing up a steep set of rocky stairs.

Post mini-hike pic.

The mini-hike increased our appetites, so when we got back to the Concord United Methodist Church we all had some snacks. 

Trisha and Jill enjoying some tasty ice-cream cones.

We are excited to revisit the University of Tennessee tomorrow to experience their Bystander Intervention Workshop, as well as our celebration dinner.

Sincerely,

Billy & Caitlin    

#WackyWednesday - UT Wellness Center/Office of Misconduct & Family Justice Center

On this wacky Wednesday, we started our day at the University of Tennessee. The university's Health and Wellness Center generously provided Panera bagels with coffee (huge perk since the coffee machine at the church was temporarily out of order this morning), and then we were given a presentation. The presentation was very casual and informed us on the different procedures and policies UT follows when dealing with sexual misconduct issues. One program the university does is the "Vols help Vols". This program designed for students promotes proper consent by displaying colorful posters around campus and giving free bystander informational sessions along with t-shirts and goodies. Several people from the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards came and answered any concerns and questions we had regarding the process and legislation of sexual misconduct on campus.

During the presentation, this quote exposed how easy it is for someone to take sides with a perpetrator rather than be active and intervene to aid the victim.   

Temporary tattoos were one of the many free items we were given by the Health & Wellness Center.

One of the pieces of artwork displayed in the Family Resource Center.  The words written on the figures are two different dialogues of relationship violence.  This was created by Bobbie Crews Studio.  

We were fortunate enough to be able to explore the University of Tennessee campus on this beautiful day after our meeting with the Health & Wellness Center and Offie of Student Conduct and Community Standards.  Depicted is the Neyland football Stadium.

The latter half of our day was spent at the Family Resource Center.  After being shown around the facility and learning what a typical visit was like for a client, we congregated in the assembly-room and discussed the impacts and repercussions of relationship violence.  This was a really interesting visit because each of the places we visited earlier in the week continued to reference the Family Justice Center and say how incredible of a resource it is for victims of relationship violence or someone closely involved.  

When we returned to the church we are staying at, we helped serve dinner to the congregation.  This truly was a humbling experience because every member was so welcoming and interested in what our group was doing during our Spring Break. 

Until next time,

Emilie & Naj

Hi! My name is Sonakshi, I'm from Boston, MA, and I'm a kinesiology major at the University of Maryland, College Park. I enjoy traveling, bullet journaling, and trying various foods. I am super excited for this alternative break, because I am really passionate about raising awareness and combatting domestic violence.

#TeamworkTuesday - Cherokee Health Systems

It's day 4 in Knoxville and we started the day (early) by leaving the church to go to Cherokee Health Systems and talk with Dr. Tenbarge, a clinical psychologist also known as BHC (behavioral health consultant).  She showed us a powerpoint presentation and enhanced our knowledge about the power & control wheel and the cycle of violence.  We learned more statistics and more causes & effects associated with domestic violence.  She gave us a quick tour of part of their facility and gave us more information about some resources, including the Family Justice Center, which we are excited to see tomorrow!

We drove to a park a few minutes away to have lunch and hang out.  Here's some pictures of how we spent our time at the playground!


#LunchIsLit


Kamini, Sonakshi, and Billy on the playground!



Jill and Megan sliding into your DMs


Caitlin taught us how to play a watermelon game where you have to pass the seed across a circle

After lunch, we headed over to another branch of Cherokee Health Systems where we met with Mr. Tillery, who told us about what kinds of health services they offer (for free) to the homeless in the Knoxville area.  After giving us some information about this branch, we prepared hygiene goody bags full of feminine products, deodorant, lip balm, nail clippers, hand sanitizer, and sunscreen.  After filling the bags, he walked us across the street to the Volunteer Ministry Center, where we gave the bags to women there.  The VMC is a daytime resource center for those experiencing homelessness.  Employees at the VMC help those experiencing homelessness get back on their feet, possibly find housing, and teach them how to look for jobs.


Outside the VMC!


All of us hanging outside Cherokee Health!

To end our day, we were planning on going to Dairy Queen (it's free cone day!!) but, sadly the Knoxville area locations decided not to participate ):  So, we parked downtown and spent some time at the Worlds Fair center to see the Sun Sphere built for the 1982 Worlds Fair.  We got to go up 264 feet inside it to see panoramic views of the city!




The best staff advisor and ELs!!

-Ella and Jill

#MotivationalMonday - Learning Self Defense!

Hey y'all! Only 3 days here and we have already adopted a Southern drawl! We have also grown really close as a team and were excited to embark on another adventure together - this time, in matching Alternative Breaks shirts! The gang showed up to the University of Tennessee in these shirts to participate in the highly anticipated self defense class offered by the school. The class was led by two University officers who spoke to us about the different scenarios during which self defense would be required. We also got the opportunity to physically practice some defense tactics. We paired up and one person acted as the attacker while the other attempted to defend themselves using the moves taught to us by the two officers. Most of these moves involved the use of our hands and arms but we also discussed hypothetical situations that might incorporate the use of other body movements. This class was particularly unique and enlightening as it involved both an educational aspect and a fun physical portion following our newfound expertise.

Here are some action-packed pictures from the day:

Despite the rain that welcomed us to UT, our fun didn't stop there. We headed to Blaze Pizza for a $3.14 pizza in celebration of Pi Day! It was extremely delicious. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to fully explore the UT campus but we hope to return again on Wednesday and compare and contrast the campus to the lovely place we call home back at UMD. We experienced a pretty short day today so we had some downtime upon returning from Blaze, during which some of us took naps, did homework, explored the church, or just hung around. Because of our filling meal at Blaze, we ended up having a lighter dinner consisting of some salad and garlic bread.

Last but not least, we had a reflection. Reflection is definitely one of our favorite parts of the day and always a great way to end the night. We did several activities, most of which were centered around learning more about relationship violence as well as how we identify with ourselves. We discussed the Power and Control wheel of abusive relationships, which includes the different dimensions of relationship violence. Mostly, we talked about victim and abuser responses within the cycle of abuse and ways for a victim to escape the cycle. Following this activity, we discussed the role of a member of society, volunteer, conscientious citizen, and active citizen in social justice movements (both generally and in regards to domestic violence). We learned more about where we ourselves stand as members of society, where we expect to stand in the future, and where we would like to stand in the future. It was very enlightening and helped us learn more about our passion and devotion to social justice.

Tomorrow, we are going to start our day a lot earlier because we have many more activities planned. We are planning on attending a lecture about the psychological side of domestic violence, taking a tour of a homeless shelter and then volunteering there. We are excited to continue to progress into active citizens of society!

Thanks for reading!
- Kamini and Trisha

About Me - Kamini

Hi! My name is Kamini (it sounds like Comedy but with an 'n' instead of a 'd'). I'm a senior biology major and I am very passionate about confronting the issue of domestic violence. This is my first Alternative Break but I'm really glad I could experience this before I graduate. I'm super excited to get closer to new people, gain perspective on a serious issue, participate in community service, and appreciate the beauty of the Smoky Mountains! Some fun facts about me are that I love cats, food (both are more of an obsession really), traveling, and science. Again, I can't wait to share my adventures with you all and hope you are all able to learn something new and enlightening about relationship violence from reading this blog!

Intro from Emilie

Hello!

My name is Emilie Virgilio.  I am a senior Government and Politics major, Spanish language and culture minor.  I am from West Chester, PA and love getting my Wawa and cheesesteak fix every time I go home.  This past winter I studied abroad in Thailand through the UMD program on Human Trafficking.  I have always been interested in learning all about human trafficking, but have not had the opportunity to learn about relationship violence.  Because I feel the two topics correlate, I thought it would be a great opportunity to go on this trip to learn and discuss the social issue.  I am eager to learn about the different areas of relationship violence and hopefully I can take what I learned back to my community and help friends, family, and those who might need guidance in any way that I can!

#SocialJusticeSunday - Our First Service at the YWCA!

Today was our first day of service on our AB trip. We went to the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) at the Phyllis Wheatley branch, which not only acts as a community center for women, but for their families as well. Our service project involved organizing and maintaining the art room, workout room, kitchen, etc. This involved wiping down fitness equipment, mopping floors, and tidying up art utensils. While we were there, we met Mr. Otto, who has been the maintenance man at the YWCA since 1984. He explained to us that unfortunately, there has been a lack of funding towards the community center and their associated programs (e.g., boys and girls basketball and multiple church groups). However, he mentioned that church groups are returning to the YWCA, so he seems optimistic about the future of the community center. Also, something that the group found endearing is that Mr. Otto has seen children grow up and return with their own families throughout the years, which showed us that there are strong community ties in Knoxville.

Afterwards, we spent the afternoon exploring Market Square and visiting the East Tennessee History Center. The History Center had artifacts (e.g., old fashioned drug store, their first trolley) and several paintings of important figures in Eastern Tennessee's history. We found that Eastern Tennessee has a very rich history and culture, which we learned a lot about.

For the rest of the evening, we relaxed back the church. A part of the team spent time with the church's youth group playing various games, such as bean bag tic-tac-toe and manhunt. For dinner, Mika, Daniel and Emilio prepared turkey and lentil tacos with Jill's homemade guacamole. After dinner, we did our nightly reflection where we learned more about each other and what we hope to accomplish by the end of this experience. Tomorrow, we will be attending a self defense class at the University of Tennessee, which we look forward to!

\
This is our group performing service at the YWCA.


umdAB? More like umDAB!


Group picture with Mr. Otto.


Daniel, Mika, and Emilio in front of their delicious dinner!

- Jennifer Ngo, Sonakshi Narayan, Megan Chui

My name is Jennifer Ngo and I am a sophomore, Pre-Nursing major! I am from Silver Spring, Maryland. This is my first AB trip, and also my first time in Knoxville. I love immersing myself in new culture and giving back to the community - which I am excited to do on this trip! I hope that this experience will educate me more on domestic violence, and what I can do to combat domestic violence in my own community. Among other things, I enjoy reading and playing with my puppy! I also enjoy traveling (when I can), and trying new foods :)  

Hello! My name is Megan Chui and I'm from Gaithersburg, MD. I'm currently a sophomore Public Health Science major hoping to attend Physician Assistant school as well as spend my time volunteering abroad thereafter. I'm looking forward to serving the Knoxville community and learning about how domestic violence is such a pertinent issue that needs to be both addressed and combatted. I have served as a research assistant in the Motivated Cognition Lab at the University of Maryland and am currently training to become an EMT. I love hiking, searching for adventure, and staring at the stars.

Ella's Bio

Hey people. I'm Ella. I'm also a human who should have been a cat. I'm a Junior at the University of Maryland and am a Government and Politics and Philosophy double major. I am very excited to be learning more about domestic violence in Knoxville. This is my second Alternative Breaks trip. That seems like all of the relevant information.
 

Hi, everyone! My name is Emilio Rivera, and I'm a senior Public Health Science major and Spanish minor from Frederick, MD. I'm so excited to be participating in my second Alternative Break experience, engaging with the Knoxville community and learning about domestic violence. I'm a passionate advocate for social justice and promoting diversity, often spending my time attending cultural events and dialogues, volunteering, and all things related. At UMD, I try to stay active and heavily involved as possible: whether that be co-leading a project for the student-led group, Public Health Without Borders; interning for CARE to Stop Violence; volunteering with my fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega; and co-facilitating academic planning workshops for the School of Public Health. Thus, I can't think of any better way to spend my Spring Break :)

My name is Jill Flenner and I'm from Bel Air, Maryland.  I'm a junior Kinesiology major and Human Development minor interested in going to Physical Therapy school.  I'm excited to be here in Knoxville, TN this week to learn more about domestic violence and serve in this area!  At UMD, I enjoy tutoring PG county students with the America Counts program and volunteering at a local physical therapy clinic.  Outside of class, I enjoy hanging with my friends, visiting my dog, and traveling.

        Hey everyone! My names is Billy Kennedy III and I am a freshman physics (and soon to be astronomy) major living in Greenbelt, Maryland; I'm also in the Science, Discovery, and the Universe program of College Park Scholars. I'm super excited to be here in Knoxville (it's my first time in Tennessee) learning about domestic violence. I've always been interested in issues concerning women and LGBT people, so I'm really looking forward to learning all that I can this week. When I'm not in class or doing homework, you can find me reading, at the gym, or playing games on my laptop; aside from space and science, I'm interested in social justice, language, books, clothes, and food.

Meet your Staff Advisor!

Hi Everyone! My name is Chamika "Mika" Ellis and I'm honored to serve as the Staff Advisor for AB: Team Knoxville! I currently serve as the Resident Director for Hagerstown Hall here at UMD and am extremely excited to be on this trip. I received my M.Ed in Higher Education from the University of Arkansas and my B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. I am also an AmeriCorps Alum, so service is something I'm very passionate about, along with working with students. In my spare time, I enjoy watching football (Go Packers, Razorbacks, and Terps!) Women's Basketball, trying new recipes, crafting, and shoe shopping (yes it's a really hobby! LOL). A few other random facts about me: I'm adopted, I'm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin so I'm a cheesehead to my core. Please be sure to stay tuned for more updates from our fabulous trip participants!

Meet the Experience Leaders!

Hello, Everyone! My name is Caitlin, and I am a Senior, General Biology major.  I’m from Gaithersburg, Maryland, and I love providing my time to the local community or greater community; whether it’s volunteering at the local park or assisting the elderly, I truly believe that we are all capable of sharing and learning.  If I am not in my research lab working with Drosophila, doing homework in the LCSL office, or spending time with friends, you can find me in the gym!  This is my first year as an AB Experience Leader, and I am super excited to share this experience with Shannon and the participants in our journey to learning more about domestic violence.

Hello! My name is Shannon Kirby, and I am a junior Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics major and Spanish minor from Ellicott City, Maryland. I am very excited to be leading this year’s trip to Knoxville and getting to know all of our amazing participants. I was an experience leader last year in Topsail, NC, and I am super juiced to get to work alongside all of you to learn more about domestic violence this year in Knoxville, TN! I enjoy reading and running whenever I get the chance, and I am a big fan of puppies, the environment, and chocolate milk.