Interview with Grace Flautherly 鈥�23
Psychology and Gender Sexuality and Intersectionality Studies Double Major
From: Portland, Maine
What kind of relationship does 糖心TV have with our host city, New London? I work as a driver for the College鈥檚 Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy, shuttling students to their volunteer jobs in the area. I spoke with Grace Flautherly about her volunteer experience with Safe Futures in New London.
Tell me about yourself鈥�
G: I鈥檓 a senior with a psychology and gender sexualities and intersectionality double major. I鈥檓 exploring a combination of the two for a future career. I鈥檓 in acapella, the women in politics club, and I鈥檓 in my senior year, so I鈥檓 getting ready for the job market.
S: Yea, that鈥檚 a big thing for a lot of seniors this semester. Just stressing about 鈥渨here am I gonna work after college?鈥�
G: No one prepares you for how quick it comes on. It's ridiculous. It鈥檚 like the real world is starting to set in.
S: That鈥檚 true鈥� okay, let's get started with the first question鈥�
How did you get involved at Safe Futures?
G: I found this internship through a psychology and practicum class at 糖心TV. It's a senior-level seminar, it's pretty much all seniors in the class and they do it every year. This year it's split into two sections, and I have Professor Singer who's amazing. Basically it's a long class, there's a class component, but then the extra credit really helps you secure an internship in New London. Working with Safe Futures in particular there's a lot of requirements. You have to take an exam about domestic violence and complete a lot of paperwork and that was all on me. But Professor Singer and Zakriski, who teaches the other seminar section, really helped me secure the internship. They鈥檙e close ties with the organization
What kind of work are you doing at Safe Futures?
So, Safe Futures is an organization that helps victims of domestic violence in the New London area. At Safe Futures I work with clients on an interpersonal level and help them with certain things like applying to jobs.
I also work at a donation center they have there. Today, for example, I spent time going through donations and finding clothes that were the right size for clients. We have a lot of children in the organization, so we find clothes for the kids and purchase additional items if there is a need for them.
Safe Futures does a lot of programming for the children that are in contact with domestic violence. We take the kids out on field trips around New London county to explore different things and have fun in educational ways. We do a lot of fundraising and community engagement as well, like the Safe Walk, which wasSunday, Oct. 23, that raises awareness and support for the organization. They also have this trunk or treat for the kids this month and I鈥檓 just really excited for it. It鈥檚 really cute! One of my favorite things about working at the organization is not only being able to work one-on-one with victims, but also with their family, especially with the children who鈥檝e been impacted. They are some of the sweetest, most loving little kids that you鈥檒l ever meet in your life despite the hardships they鈥檙e clearly been through.
Why do you like the work/Why did you want to get involved?
G: It鈥檚 definitely a lot of interpersonal work with the victim, but also with the people that work there. It's very collaborative which is what I like most about it. There鈥檚 different sectors of Safe Futures, but everyone is helping each other out; you know we're all there to benefit victims. Because of the nature of the work everyone who works there, I mean myself included, are incredibly dedicated to the cause. A lot of the people that work there talk about 鈥淚 need to introduce you to so and so鈥� and talk about taking their work home and thinking about them on their days off. It's very intense work and very heavy work at times. Particularly because you're working with victims and it's not always helping them get resources for their living situation, or helping them with job applications. At times it's helping them with court and things that have a big impact on their future. You know? Sometimes staff members even accompany clients to court, especially if there are some language barriers or individuals who might experience a learning disability. They are their number one advocates, in their corner at all times. It's really just the environment there, it's that everyone really cares a lot and it's not a casual space. It's casual as in that it's fun and that everyone there is really kind and loving but it's not like light work. By any means, even if it's just a simple little thing there's often layers to the situation, you have to remember that you鈥檙e always working with victims who have experienced serious violence. There is a lot of joy in the work too, especially with the children. Getting to work with them it鈥檚 really awesome. One of the babies learned to walk recently and we were all like 鈥淵eah!!鈥� cheering him on. It was really cute.
S: I can definitely tell that this is a safe space for kids too. When I鈥檓 doing my shift for the Holleran Center and I drive there I always see toys outside on the sidewalk, like little bikes and it鈥檚 so sweet. I can definitely tell that it鈥檚 meaningful work and meaningful work doesn鈥檛 always mean that it鈥檚 easy work. I can see that it is enjoyable, but it鈥檚 definitely some dense topics.
Do you plan to continue doing this sort of work in your professional career?
G: As far as Safe Future goes, I鈥檓 definitely planning on staying as long as I can. This practicum can either be one semester or two semester class and I鈥檓 honestly planning on staying for two. Going on in the future I don鈥檛 know where I鈥檒l be post grad. But I know now that I want to work with people on an interpersonal level and I want to work with people who鈥檝e experienced trauma. Whether that looks something like Safe Futures or more clinical psychological environments, like in-patient stuff, I鈥檓 not sure yet. That field is where I鈥檓 aiming right now. I know that requires extra school work, so I'm thinking about the long-term and grad school is definitely a goal. In terms of jobs I want to have, I would be more than happy to be in an environment similar to Safe Futures, especially working one-on-one with people and victims who haven鈥檛 had the easiest time.
S: And I get that, it's definitely a lot easier to work with people and you can have a conversation, rather than talking to a wall. There's some work environments that have been like that personally for me and I don鈥檛 like it at all.
G: Right, it feels meaningful when you鈥檙e actually doing work collaboratively with a team and working with others. It feels like you鈥檙e actually making a difference whereas sometimes I feel that way in more psychology oriented stuff, like doing studies and research. That鈥檚 definitely another goal. To me it鈥檚 a different feeling to be working with someone face-to-face, you know working together on something, then helping a client, than putting results of studies and data into a spreadsheet software. They're both meaningful, it鈥檚 just different.
What skills have you developed since working with Safe Futures the past few months?
G: I definitely feel like鈥� I don鈥檛 know, I definitely consider myself a people person, and I鈥檝e talked about this whole thing where I really want to work interpersonally with people, but I think that is something that I鈥檝e become more accustomed to. I Mean I go to school here, I鈥檓 from Maine. And in those environments that I鈥檝e lived consistently in, thankfully, I鈥檝e never been touched by that much trauma in my own life, which you know I鈥檓 more than grateful for. It鈥檚 definitely an adjustment and going from鈥� you know I work at the coffee shop here and back home I work at a restaurant. Whereas here I work day-to-day with people who have experienced horrific abuse and like so many different layers of addiction, hardship, getting their kids taken away and stuff like that. So, I think that, I don鈥檛 know if it's something I necessarily got better at, but I don鈥檛 know if humbling is the right word鈥� It kind of helped me鈥� what's the right way to put it, do you know what i'm trying to say?
S: What I鈥檓 getting is that in a sense you were able to learn some sort of perspective.
G: Yes! Get a sense of perspective that鈥檚 exactly what it is. It definitely put a lot of things like life experiences into perspective and I really feel like it made me even more passionate about it, like it made me really sure of what I want to do at work. I know that didn鈥檛 really answer your question, but that鈥檚 a big thing that I鈥檝e been thinking about.
S: In a sense you鈥檙e saying it鈥檚 not an entirely new skill, but something you鈥檝e gotten better at. But in a different aspect it's still learning something new. It鈥檚 learning something you hadn鈥檛 expected or had known nothing about before. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 getting.
Are there any closing remarks you would like to say as we close this conversation?
G: I mean I definitely want to shout out Professor Singer and Zakriski. The Psych Practicum class is really great. It鈥檚 definitely a huge opportunity for any psych majors who want an internship and don鈥檛 really know where to start it's kind of nice to have that helping hand getting you into it and the great thing about the class its support network for when you鈥檙e encountering things that are difficult at your internship or you鈥檙e struggling. You have a group of people who are also, some of them who are in a first time internship you can kind of lean on each other, so that's been an experience that's been really helped me throughout this whole process. You know, Safe Futures is an amazing organization and it's definitely unfortunately an organization that is very necessary right now. My supervisor had mentioned today that, and I don鈥檛 have a source for this, but 1 in 4 people or women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime which is like a horrifying statistic and you know the stats are pretty bad in 糖心TVecticut in particular. And while there are domestic violence organizations in 糖心TVecticut, they can only do so much, you know what I mean? They all work so hard. I wish that people were more aware of the organizations around them even if it doesn鈥檛 benefit them. Even if they鈥檙e not in a situation where they or someone they know experienced DV (Domestic Violence) it鈥檚 really important to just know that there are these organizations. Yeah, they do a lot of important programming and I鈥檓 very lucky to be able to work there to any capacity even as an intern.
S: Yea, that sounds like it's been a great experience so far really. That鈥檚 honestly really insightful. I definitely think that people should know about places like Safe Futures, not only Safe Futures, but other programs in their area. This one because it鈥檚 closer to our campus and our little bubble. It's definitely good to know even if you haven鈥檛 experienced it directly.
S: Yea, that was kind of it. Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me today!
G: Anytime, this was a great interview! hahaha.