Peer Pressure Post

This post is coming after many months of not writing and several not so subtle prods from one of my JV housemates, Katie, who I think really wants me to close out the blog from my JV year and comment on life after JVC. Since I am finding this a very odd, almost awkward post to write I think I'll just list some general thoughts that I have.

1. After what seemed like several weeks of goodbyes and closing out my JV year with my community with a solid day of reflection, group sharing and bonding over a bear shaped collage, I officially ended my time as a JV on August 2. I don't think you're ever really done being a JV though...I mean, the organization's motto is Ruined for life, so in reality I guess the hard part is what lies beyond the JV year. Living simply, finding and maintaining some sort of community, having a spiritual life, and engaging in social justice in some capacity is just so much harder when you are not intentional about it. Intentionality is something that I think can be very difficult to maintain when you are not being challenged, taught and engaged each and every day with others who are seeking intentionality in their lives as was present in a JV community. I find myself struggling with certain aspects of life post JVC Northwest but overall I think that my experiences as a JV, with the Sitka community, with my JV community, with other JVs throughout Alaska and with the JVC Northwest staff have prepared me well enough to thrive without the structured support that being a JV provides.

2. I loved being home and being able to spend so much time with my family and catch up with many of my friends who I hadn't seen in a long time. Things like going to the mall were overwhelming experiences after a year in Sitka but for the most part adjusting to life back in the lower 48 went smoothly.

3. After a series of events, it became clear to me that returning to Sitka was a solid option and I applied for and accepted a new position at the shelter that I worked at last year. I am working as the Prevention Specialist under the shelter's DELTA (Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances) Program which is funded by a CDC grant focused on reducing and ending intimate partner violence. Alaska was one of the original 14 states chosen for funding and Sitka is one of four sites in Alaska with a DELTA program. In this position I am going to be playing a role in a lot of programming at the shelter and community wide geared towards reductions in violence in Sitka. So far much of my time has been focused on catching up with all the information about violence prevention and the programming that currently exists in Sitka, statewide and is being planned. I am expecting to be heavily involved with programming for boys and men and with youth curriculum and programming such as Girls on the Run. GOTR is an empowerment program for 3-8th grade girls that uses running to complement positive messaging about the media, body image, self esteem and other topics to prepare young girls for adolescence and adulthood. There is a push statewide to provide some similar, complementary programs for boys, which at the moment are not nationally available and it has been extremely difficult to find community men willing to commit to developing and organizing such programs. So far I am really enjoying the new position at the shelter and am looking forward to being more actively involved in the community and in the prevention aspect of this work. I am sure that I will have more to add in the future.

4. Since I've been back in Alaska I have attended a teen leadership conference, Lead-On!, in Anchorage where I got to engage in conversation with and meet a number of teens and adults heavily involved in prevention efforts around the state and I arrived back in time for Alaska Day. Alaska Day was just as I had remembered it: fun, ridiculous and a community wide celebration. The weather held out enough to keep everyone dry for the parade and Coast Guard Search and Rescue demonstration and the Seattle Fire Dept. Pipe and Drums band was once again in town. Liz, one of the new JVs, and I had an absurdly long conversation with one of the drummers who enlightened us to the fact that Vanilla Ice is the greatest rapper of all time and that New Kids on the Block is the greatest band of all time.

That's all for now...I'll attempt to keep updating this more frequently.