Dolapo Oshin

Committee Against Domestic Abuse

January 2017 Journal Entries

Week 1

Global Citizenship: Self Awareness (level 3)

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

illustrated as understanding and relating to others on a personal level which promotes

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:

Global Citizenship: Knowledge and Understanding (level 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

the ladies on a first name basis at the end of my second shift.

Week 3:

Global Citizenship: Communication (level 2)

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.

February Journal Entries

Week 1:

Global Citizenship: Self Awareness Level 3

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

1 in 6 ever report it to authorities made me very uncomfortable as a woman. In addition to

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

Global Citizenship: Self Awareness Level 3

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

condones a vile behavior.

Week 3:

Leadership: Teams Level 1

 This week i spoke with my supervisor about having a more hands on role within CADA. I

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.

March Journal Entries (3 due to spring break)

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

person is capable of being everything; help from others is necessary sometimes.

Week 2:

Global Citizenship; Self-awareness- Level 2: Shows emerging awareness

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:

Leadership; Values-Level 1: Identifies personal leadership values

 This week, I had a situation where my values were challenged. One of the ladies had

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.