Field Trip

This evening, the class will be traveling to Greenville, SC, to meet with our client contact at Safe Harbor. We will be granted access to tour one of the shelters as we learn more about the organization, their mission and their needs. I am excited about being able to make this personal connection. During last year's class, only one of the groups visited a shelter. They came back transformed and truly moved by the people they met. I am humbled and excited that the client has asked the whole class to come for a tour this time. I think we will all feel more connected by seeing the shelter and witnessing the services they provide.

To prepare for our visit, I asked the class to do some background research on domestic violence. You can read the striking statistics and harsh facts they found on their personal blogs (linked on the right). One stat that really jumps out at me is that intimate partner abuse most often occurs among people age 16-24; in other words, my class is the target audience for Safe Harbor's outreach, education and services. Combine that with the fact that 1 in 4 women will be abused in her lifetime, and the odds are very high that someone in the class, or at the very least someone a class member knows, has experienced abuse. This inspires me, as I hope it inspires the class, to help Safe Harbor however we can. This is not just about other people; it's about our class, our campus, our community.

First Day

Welcome, Class, to our first meeting. I look forward to adding your blogs to our Blogroll and following our progress throughout the semester.