Week 1
This week I had an hour-long orientation training. In this training, I was basically
informed on all the different policies and advocacy that CADA respects and enforces. I was
informed about the victims that were there and some of the circumstances surrounding their
stay at the shelter. Some women were victims of domestic abuse and others survivors of sexual
abuse. I was encouraged to practice empathy instead of sympathy. Sympathy is simply feeling
bad for someone and therefore lacks human connection. Empathy on the other hand was
understanding and comfort. In addition to that, the practice of confidentiality was regarded to
as one of the most important aspects of CADA in an effort to protect and respect the well-being
of every victim. This orientation training provided me with valuable insight on the sensitive
nature of this internship. I am learning how to interact with people of different socioeconomic
background as well as understanding some of the hardships that they have and are currently
facing. Its honestly such a fulfilling experience that I have not had in my four years in a college
classroom.
Week 2:
This week, I began to interact with the different ladies in the shelter. My initial shift was
during a very busy time in the evening. The kids were back from school and interacting with
their mothers. Some of the women made it clear that they had other obligation such as work to
tend to and others were in the shelter all day and adjusting to a new environment. I spoke to a
few mothers who made it clear that they were new to the Mankato area and had to relocate in
order to have a safe space to settle in. Many of the ladies came from the cities close to
minneapoli and that surprised me that their environment had to be drastically transformed. It
suddenly clicked in my head that these ladies really were heroes who were willing to sacrifice
their own comfort for the sake of their kids. It was really beautiful to see and I began to address
Week 3:
This week, I got to interact with ladies from different cultural backgrounds as me. I met
with a woman who had more than 4 children with her from Eastern Africa. I noticed her and her
female children wore a hijab throughout the day and engaged into a conversation with her. We
hit it off pretty well and she told me that she liked that fact that i was willing enough to speak
to her even without knowing her. I let her know that I am Nigerian myself and she seemed so
excited because she does not frequently get to interact with people outside the Mankato area.
This experience was so great to me because it really put things into perspective. Here I had a
met a woman with a completely different religion and culture other than mine and we were
laughing drinking coffee and feeding her children. It was such a defining moment for me
because had to step outside of my comfort zone and interact with another person to become
more educated about the trials that that person faced. Even though I did not provide any
service to her, my interaction with her alone seemed to put her in greater spirits and that is
amazing.
Week 1:
This week was the first half of my sexual assault advocacy training. The training was
about 18 hours long and I thought of it to be a very eye-opening seminar. Initially, I was very
overwhelmed with the content that was discussed because it was detailed the specifics of
sexual assault. For example, the fact that 1 in 4 women will be victims of sexual assault and only
that, I learned that the popular notion to fight back is not always followed nor the best option
when placed in such a vulnerable position. Most victims go into shock in such a powerless
situation and end up blaming themselves for not showing aggression/resistance towards their
assailant. However, fighting back has shown to result in more injuries to victims. Learning this
information opened my mind to a completely different perspective than what i was used to
because I finally understood the dilemma that victims of sexual abuse face when in that
horrifying position. They feel powerless and violated which is a feeling that no one should have
to subjected to.
Week 2
During this week, I completed the second 18 hours of my sexual assault training. During
this segment, I was more prepared of the content that was going to be presented so it took less
of an emotional toll. This second portion highlighted the various resources available to assist
victims. We had a SANE nurse (a trained sexual assault nurse) come in and give a presentation
of the various types of tests taken such as an STD and pregnancy test. In addition to that, there
were exercises given where we had to hypothetically interact with a victim of sexual assault.
We also learned of the different ways victims tend to blame themselves such as I should have
known! and I shouldnt have been drinking. Victim blaming by society is one of the biggest
factor as to why some victims a reluctant to press charges. Blaming a woman for her choice of
clothing or amount of alcohol consumed takes fault away from perpetrators and subsequently
Week 3:
love interacting with the women and children at the shelter but I also sought for a challenging
task. She informed me that the outreach team was trying to develop a legal intern position
within the organization and that i would be perfect for that sort of opening seeing that I had
previous legal experience at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. The only potential
conflict was with my schedule because most court proceedings happen during the day. I was
very excited to hear that an opportunity, tailored to my preference, was present in such a
positive organization and I look forward to lending a legal helping hand to women any way I
can.
Week 1:
Leadership; Teams- Level 1: Reflects upon roles within group and team settings
This week, I got a bit of insight regarding the roles that the shelter had. Because many of
the ladies live in somewhat of a shared space, the way they interacted was very interesting.
There seemed to be roles held by particular individuals. For example, there was a victim who
tended to the infants because she knew how to stop them from crying, there was a woman
who was the disciplinarian, and there was a woman who essentially kept the space orderly.
Though they did not explicitly assign these roles, it was clear that it was in their nature to take
on certain responsibilities. This was a learning experience for me because I began to recognize
that everyone has their own unique strengths which allows for an efficient collaborative
setting. It was a necessary observation for me to notice because it taught me that not a single
Week 2:
This week was fairly normal one. However, I will say that the highlight of this week was
when I braided a survivors daughters hair. Being African and having naturally coarse hair, I am
rather familiar with hair care. While I was braiding her hair, I saw that the survivors of different
ethnicities all gathered around me and were watching in amazement of how I used different
methods to care for the young girls hair. One resident even brought out her phone and started
taking pictures! Though it was a very simple act, I found that it was one of the moments that
bonded the residents together. We began to speak about hair care and then eventually spoke
of the kinds of experiences they faced as victims. I think at this very moment I began to value to
importance of being open minded. It allows for one to understand another culture (even
through hair care) and builds a bridge for conversation of substance to be made.
Week 3:
recently come in contact with her perpetrator and mentioned the possibility of them rekindling
their romance. The whole situation got me a bit upset. However, instead of me to show my
annoyance, I instead tried to be understanding about her potential dilemma. Though I wont go
into great detail of our conversation due to confidentiality and respect, I will say that this
conversation was a difficult one to maintain without me outwardly voicing out my own opinion.
I wanted to ensure that her decision was one that was well thought out instead of forced.