This time of year, you might hear on the radio that familiar refrain: There’s no place like home for the holidays. And for many, that’s true. For those who live with abuse, leaving home is what’s needed this holiday season. And because of a warm, welcoming cohort of YWCA friends, the YWCA-Wege Sojourner House is…Read more
First impressions matter. Inside the YWCA, we’ve taken many steps to make sure that our 96-year-old building makes a strong one – that it’s a place for healing, for safety, for empowerment. Outside? It’s a different story. An outside not yet reflecting the beauty inside Construction. Weather. Pedestrian traffic. It’s all taken a toll, and we…Read more
A letter to the men of our community, from the YWCA’s CEO and the men of the YWCA’s Board of Directors: We are concerned for boys and young men. We are concerned they are seeing short-sighted, vitriolic, partisan rhetoric eclipsing thoughtful conversations that could lead to the end of sexual assault; that the self-image of too…Read more
What’s a rape exam? It’s something many have heard of, but unless you work in the field of sexual assault or have experienced one yourself, you might not know exactly what it entails. So imagine being a sexual assault victim and needing one – already feeling traumatized, and faced with what could be a frightening, invasive…Read more
Guest Post by network180 In response to the recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, network180 shared this valuable resource for navigating the tough conversations with children after such tragedies. What parents should talk about with children: Recognize the sudden, unexpected, tragic event. Be clear that children and teachers were hurt, don’t…Read more
Yesterday, after a week of heart-wrenching victim impact statements, renowned sports physician Larry Nassar was sentenced up to 175 years for sexually abusing his patients — many of whom were just children or young teenagers when he first began assaulting them. Not yet known are the full consequences to be faced by Michigan State University,…Read more
The nervous system isn’t just in the brain — it travels through the whole body, meaning the emotions we feel are felt throughout our bodies. That’s why the YWCA introduced trauma-informed yoga classes for survivors of domestic and sexual violence last year, as a complement to traditional therapy. “Anxiety, depression, and trauma really do get…Read more
Hello and welcome! One of the parts we are most excited about with our newly redesigned website is right here, this blog. Because of the nature of what we do, addressing the issues of domestic and sexual violence, much of the work done at the YWCA is very private. However, this blog will seek to…Read more
