Fit2BTide S09.E10: UA Camellia Center

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa. Happy Sunday, y'. All. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And listeners, I have to tell you, I have got some good and bad news. I'm going to start with the bad news and say that it is just me today. Nika, our. Our fearless co captain is. Is doing some faculty interviews right now. And so it's, you know, it's kind of going into a recording time, but that's okay. She felt confident enough that I could run the ship on my own, so we miss her so much. But the good news is to make up for the fact that Nika is not here, not only do we have one fabulous guest, but we have two fabulous guests. You've been hearing all semester from us, all academic year from us, that we have had this fantastic lineup of guests. We've had student guests, We've had some of our different external community agencies with us. We've had some different campus partners. And today is no exception. Today we are featuring the Camellia center at the University of Alabama. And as part of that show, what we are doing is we are having Dr. El Siobhan Maganya, executive director of the center, and Shannon Welch, who is the assistant director of clinical services. Ladies, thank you for being on the show today. [00:01:27] Speaker B: Thank you for having us. [00:01:28] Speaker C: Sheena, thank you so much. We thank you and Nisha for hosting us and look forward to an opportunity to reach folks and tell a little bit about what we're doing at the Camellia Center. [00:01:36] Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, I have. I'm so excited to have both of you. And for our listeners who have been with us for a while, they know that typically in this first part of the show, we like to get to know our guests a little bit, especially understanding professional and academic backgrounds prior to the roles that you've had. We have so many of our student listeners who have been inspired by hearing the traject victories that our guests have had when it comes to their academic background. For some of our guests, it was a very linear pathway to the role they have now. For other guests, it's been a little bit of a windy road, and it's nice to hear those stories just to see how everyone landed in their. In their current positions. And so, Elle, could we actually start with you? Tell us a little bit about yourself. [00:02:23] Speaker C: Yes, I will say I did go the windy road path, but there has been a common theme. [00:02:29] Speaker A: Sure. [00:02:30] Speaker C: So my undergraduate graduate work was actually in communications, and then I worked doing community Organizing for nonprofit. And then many years later, went back and got my first master's degree in Human Development and Family Studies, and then women's studies, and then later a degree in education leadership and part policy Technology studies, which is basically social and cultural foundations of education. So I have been a lifelong learner. I continue to learn, and I've been at our center now for 25 years. But prior to that, I mentioned the common thread. The common thread has always been advocacy. So I. I've worked with different populations. I really enjoy working with our student and university community because I think it's a very exciting time in people's lives when they are students. It is a very pivotal time. But I've also worked with children. I've worked with adults with disabilities. And so the common theme is that of advocacy, basically thinking about what's going on that is challenging in the lives of others and how can we as a community come together for healing and a positive health pathway. [00:03:49] Speaker A: I appreciate you sharing that. And when I think about the time that you've had here at the Capstone and especially working at the center, the fact that you've been able to see, you know, so many of the different seasons of institutional change that we've had and be able to help your staff and. And students navigate that and staying abreast of current trends. And. And I think that there's really something to be said for you having the role that you've had and I'm sure likely being familiar with other institutions that do similar work and being able to kind of compare notes in that process. And I know that the Capstone is really lucky to have you in leadership at the Camellia center. And I appreciate you sharing your academic background, because I don't think I knew all of the details, including the communications background. [00:04:38] Speaker C: Yes. Thank you. And I'm so fortunate to have a really great team and folks will get to know Shannon better. But I think, you know, to stay in a place for 25 years, some folks might say, what are you doing? Right. But it. Those 25 years have looked different, as you've mentioned. And the way that I've been able to do that is because I work with some really wonderful folks. [00:05:00] Speaker A: Well, that's a great segue into introducing Shannon and having you share about. About yourself. [00:05:07] Speaker B: Yes, I think I can be the poster child for coming to college and not knowing what you want to do and figuring it out along the way. And so I got my undergraduate degree in psychology. Wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with that. I Knew I liked studying human behavior. And so then I thought I was going to be a psychometrist. So I graduated, started working for a Head Start program, and realized I did not want to work in a school environment. And so that led me to child welfare, and that is how I got into social work doing that. But I got back to studying human behavior and behavioral. Behavioral cycles and patterns. And so seeing some families who had generational cycles of being in the child welfare system, that really was interesting to me, and I wanted to figure out, how can we interrupt this pattern? And so I knew I wanted to be on the clinical side of it. And so that's where I started moving into getting my master's in social work here at the Capstone. And then I moved into doing. Pursuing clinical licensure and doing therapy. And so I've been doing therapy now for about eight years with survivors of interpersonal violence. [00:06:15] Speaker A: That is amazing. I know in just a moment, we're going to have to take a quick break, but I'm curious, Shannon, because I know that while you had some time in your role, it's not the 25 years that Elle has had on the team, but when this opportunity came up, what interested you in working in the capacity that you do at the Camellia Center? [00:06:38] Speaker B: Well, I am from southeast Alabama, and so I was looking to move, and I wanted to pursue a supervisory position, which I had not had before. And I really wanted to do that because I had started supervising interns at my previous job, and I never saw myself working in a supervisory capacity, but realizing how many years I had in the field and that I had some practice wisdom to give back to the field. And so I just started looking, and I saw this, and it just seemed like the perfect fit. It's doing exactly what I was doing, except for I was doing it in the community. And so this was a different environment to do it in. I've always been a huge Alabama fan, of course, Roll Tide. And so it just seems like a perfect fit. And it has been, well, I have [00:07:23] Speaker A: to say, roll tied to that. We are very lucky to have you. I'm glad that you're able to go into that next step with your career here at ua. Again, listeners, I know I mentioned we've got to take a quick break, but when we get to the flip side, we want to dive in a little bit more about what is the Camellia center and what is the mission. You know, we've talked about it a little bit when we've introduced our guests, but we've got to talk about the center itself. But with that said, you guys run to the restroom, get hydrated, do what you got to do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the Capstone. Wvuafm tuscaloosa. Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7, the Capstone. And if you are just now joining us, I am gonna have to tell you that Neeka is not here with me today. However, we have two fabulous guests. Dr. El Siobhan Maganya, executive director of the Camellia center, as well as Shannon Welch, who is the assistant director of Clin. And so prior to the break, we learned more about Elle and Shannon in regards to their academic background, the, the career pathways that led them to what they do now at the Camellia Center. But I want to jump back and ask Elle, for listeners who may not be familiar, what is the Camellia center and why is it such an important resource at ua? [00:09:03] Speaker C: Thank you, Sheena. The Camellia center, first of all, let me explain why. Why the name Camellia Center? Well, Camellia center is the state flower of Alabama and it is not indigenous to the state but yet thrives. And so we really enjoyed that. Plus, it's beautiful, right? A camellia, I think is something when you think about Alabama in the south, you think about a beautiful camellia and its natural beauty. But the Camellia center is focused on interpersonal violence and that is an umbrella term and includes things like sexual violence, dating and domestic violence, harassment, stalking. So those are tough issues. Right. And why it is important is because they are issues that impact lots of people. Right. And they impact all communities. And so it's important to have then resources around that. And also important because we provide direct client services. And I know Shannon can share more about that as our director of clinical services. But we also do education and programming and it is important. We want to do prevention. We would rather not have to provide as many services for interpersonal violence. But it is very important to make institutional space and to say as communities, we think this is important and it's important enough to have resources, including staff dedicated and spaces dedicated to this issue. [00:10:32] Speaker A: I appreciate you sharing that and I know that you had just alluded to this in terms of there being both clinical services provided and programming services. And so as we start to, you know, really hone in on the clinical services, what types of confidential services does the Camellia center offer to students? [00:10:50] Speaker B: So we offer clinical services in the form of Advocacy services and counseling services. So we have a credential victim advocate, Nisha Smith, who is the longest person on our team. She's been there over a decade. And so the advocacy can look like medical advocacy, accompaniment to our partner, the safe center, so that someone can have a medical forensic exam if they choose to do so. There's academic advocacy, reaching out to professors on behalf of the student, because of course, if somebody has experienced a traumatic event, there's a possibility that their mind is not in the space to do schoolwork. And so we want to help them reach out to their professors. Judicial advocacy, working with law enforcement, or if they choose to pursue a Title 9 case, letting them know what their options are, what that process looks like so they can feel prepared. Counseling services. We have licensed therapists. We see generally our clients biweekly, so every two weeks. There is no limit to the number of services, number of sessions that they can have. As long as they are affiliated with university as a student or as a staff or faculty member, we can still see them. And we also have group therapy that meets for 10 weeks in each each semester, in fall and in spring. [00:12:07] Speaker A: That is incredible. And I really appreciate you articulating the difference between the victim advocates and the therapists. Admittedly, I have, you know, kind of thought of those roles interchangeably or being the same thing. But, you know, as you list specifically the types of things that Nisha does, I see how vital that is and, you know, a lot of case management work and, you know, to me, I feel like it's part of that process of hurting the kittens, so to speak. It's nice to have that person that can really help do that for those clients. And I know you mentioned those group therapy services too. And so I'm curious, Shannon, how do you support students at different states? Whether it's something that may have just happened to them, maybe it's something that happened in the past, or what if they're there because they're supporting a friend who has gone through that experience? [00:13:02] Speaker B: Well, that's a very important question because we do see individuals at every stage. And so coming in it is whether whatever stage they're at, you're going to prioritize safety. And even if that's a friend or a parent calling, we're going to figure out what is the safety of the survivor. So that is always where we're going to start. And then it's very client centered. It's what, what do you want from these services? Why are you here? What's bringing you here? Because Sometimes people do come because a friend has said, I think you need to go see someone. And so we want to ask them, is that what you want? And what do you want this to look like? And so always starting with where the client is, what is bringing you here, what is your desire for this? That's always going to be the first, first place to start, regardless of if it just happened the night before or if it happened 10 or 15 years ago. [00:13:57] Speaker A: Well, I know that as people seek therapy services for a variety of issues, including the topics that are covered in the center with interpersonal violence, you know, they, they may run into the terminology that includes trauma informed. And so what does trauma informed care look like at the Camellia Center? [00:14:16] Speaker B: That starts with the very first contact. So even the first telephone call to ask about services, we want to make sure that people are not having to like, retell their story. So generally it's going to be Cindy Elliott at the front desk that they speak to. And so she's just going to ask some questions to make sure they're in the right place. And so making sure we are not re. Traumatizing anyone. And so whether you're calling or you're walking in, that's just going to be the basic information to make sure that you are at the right place. And if not, we will get you to the right place. Then when you go to our waiting room, there are things in there that are like grounding objects, there's coloring books, there's journals. Because it can be scary. We're not scary. But this, this experience, the beginning of it. And so making sure that they're in an environment that feels safe, that feels calming. And then all of us have been trained, trauma informed work and trauma informed training. And so we are looking for those, those, the body movements, those things to make sure that someone is, we can see if they're displaying some things that indicate that maybe they're not so comfortable. Because we always want to pause. We always want to make them, let them know, like, you don't have to tell us anything that you don't want us to. We can pause whenever you need to. And so making sure that they feel like that they are in the driver's seat, that we are giving that autonomy back to them. And so we want to be very attentive to what those needs are. And, and we generally start the conversation like that. You can tell me as much or as little as you want to about what has happened. And so that is the most important thing is making sure that that survivor knows that they have some say in this. And so that even goes back talking to friends and talking to parents, because that first indication of a loved one telling you that they've been harmed, we want to say, go to the, you know, go to law enforcement, go to the hospital, go here, go there. But we don't realize that we're taking that decision away from the survivor. And so letting parents know, like, the best thing that you can do is listen more than you talk, even though that's hard. But just listen. Listen for what they need. Ask them what they need, and link them to the resources that they need. [00:16:31] Speaker A: I love the way that you walked us through that. I know that in my previous capacity working at the university in a. In a clinical role with eating disorders, I've had the pleasure of collaborating with your clinical staff many times. And you're right. We want to take into account that when a client is coming for services, whether it's for an instance with interpersonal violence or an eating disorder, these are very personal and sensitive situations where you don't want to put that client in a space where they're having to constantly retell that story. Um, so what are some parameters we can do to eliminate that, while also making sure that that that individual is. Has felt, seen and heard and what their experience is. And I know that that is important for our listeners when they're thinking about where they seek these services. And Shannon, you alluded to earlier who was eligible for services, but let's talk even more in logistics of how do students access your services? So if we have listeners that are thinking, hey, what do I do to get plugged in for a clinical appointment? What's their next step? [00:17:48] Speaker B: The first thing they can do is just call the office at 205-348-5040 and speak with whoever answers the phone and tell them that they're interested in scheduling an intake, they can come into the office and they can also schedule an intake that way. So that would be their first step. We generally can see people within that first week or into the next week and for that first intake experience. And so that's just going to be sitting down, like I said, with Nisha, and she's going to be asking them, making sure they're in the right place again, and what is it that you want? Some people only want the advocacy services, and so that's fine. They can have advocacy and not have therapy. And so just trying to figure out what direction is it that they want to go in if they do decide that they want to have therapy. Then they will be scheduled with a therapist again. It's generally within one week's time that they will see that therapist and meet with the therapist. The therapist will have reviewed the intake and start with tell me why you're here. Tell me what it is that you want to get out of out of this. [00:18:50] Speaker A: Sure. Well, I know we're about to have to take another quick break but I do want to ask in terms of on call services, do you have staff is available 247 and what does that support look like in those after hours calls? [00:19:06] Speaker B: Absolutely. Thank you for bringing that up. Yes, we always have someone on call. So we rotate on our direct client services staff. So someone is always, as soon as the office is closed, then there's someone who will respond. And so that can be just a phone call. If somebody needs some support, just talking through some things, maybe reminding them of some coping skills that they have, they're feeling emotionally dysregulated, we can talk through that. Or if they've experienced an assault and they are choosing to go to the safe center, choosing to go to the hospital to have some type of exam, we will accompany them if they, if they want that we will be there. [00:19:45] Speaker A: I, you know, I'm just sitting here and you know, while as a fellow staff member I know these things, to hear you say them again, it, it brings such a relief or really just sense of security knowing that we have that available to UA students. And I wanted to make sure that we had an opportunity to talk about that on call support too. But listeners I know I mentioned we've got to take a break. But on the flip side, we're going to start talking about ways that you can get plugged in with the center in terms of programs. Stay tuned. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. Wvuafm tuscaloosa. Happy Sunday listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone. And if you are just now joining us, my goodness, you need to go back and listen to our previous segments. We have Dr. El Siobhan Maganya and Shannon Welch, both from the Camellia center sharing what the Camellia cent its mission. Shannon just shared with us a lot about the clinical services available here at the capstone. And now we're going to kind of shift gears a little bit and talk about getting plugged into the Camellia center with some of the different programs. And so Elle, I know the Camellia center offers several ways for students to get involved beyond receiving services. Can you talk about why student leadership and peer involvement are so important to the work of the center? [00:21:26] Speaker C: Yes. I'm so excited to be asked about this. I feel like I am constantly reaching out, kind of finding excuses to tap a student and say, hey, do you know about the Camellia Center? And invite people to be engaged with our center? And that is so important because it helps us build our capacity, it expands our reach, and it brings in people that might not otherwise know or find out about our center. And one of the models that we use, and I know you are familiar with it in your work in health promotion and wellness and leading that program on our campus is peer education and leadership models are a proven method to effectively communicate with communities. And part of the reason is that students know other students, right? And they are engaging with them in social environments. And social environments are where interpersonal violence happens. And what do I mean when I say social environments? Right? I'm talking about where those happen in places like the residence halls where people live. Right. And bars where people go to listen to music and things like that. And so I think the opportunities for education and intervention are not just informal ways. Certainly one of the ways that we invite peer educators and leaders is to go into classrooms that I have a wonderful team. But we are 13 folks right at our center. 13 folks cannot reach everyone for a campus of 40,000 plus students. And so they just build capacity and they have a unique voice, right? Students hear things differently when it comes from another student, particularly if it is someone that they understand as a peer, when they see that person and they think that person understands my life, my experiences, and so they can share those messages about our services. They can share messages about prevention. And I think most folks actually want to be able to help. And so this is investing in an optimistic belief that that is true, right? That most of us don't want to be abusers and commit acts of violence. And it is a way of inviting our wider community in to help intervene and. And also to be there. Most students will tell another student before they even think about perhaps picking up and calling our main number to make an appointment. And so what happens at that experience is really important. And we want students then to be educated about that. So we have our ambassador program, as I mentioned, them going into classes and helping us reach our classes and doing presentations. We have another program called our. Our Greek Safe program and that is unique to our Greek letter organizations. And those are large organizations now. And what we Know, though, is that they are, even though there are large organizations of sometimes hundreds of people in each chapter, typically that there is a strong bond there. And so what a sister or a brother says in a Greek letter organization, chapter carries a lot of weight when that message is given through that person. And so they are a uniquely positioned ally, then an informed person to help kind of be a bridge and facilitate people getting services, and also someone that the students know and respect in sharing the messages. So that. That is one way. We also have lots of other programs. One thing that I have benefited from, and I know your office has as well, is interns. [00:25:19] Speaker A: Yes. [00:25:19] Speaker C: When we say interns, you might think, oh, that just is social work. Well, we do have social work interns, and we have people in counseling programs, but we also have people in our education and program services. And that includes people who are studying communications, who are studying human development and family studies, who are studying engineering, who are studying political science. [00:25:42] Speaker A: And I know public health, too, right? [00:25:44] Speaker C: You talk about public health. Yes, we love our public health interns, and we use them regularly. And they have new energy to bring. They have new perspectives. And they. I love it when students give honest feedback or, you know, sometimes they start and they're not sure, but they say, I was thinking of this idea. I'm not sure. And amazing programs and ideas have come out of students, things that they have suggested. The other thing is that students really are. They have their fingers on the pulse of kind of popular culture, and that is such. Those things lend themselves so well to kind of looking at the messaging around interpersonal violence and all its many forms. For example, we recently, this last March, did a program on Love Island. Love island is a reality show that many of our students are familiar with. Well, I did not know about Love Islands, but. Right. But our students did. And they have come up with some great ideas and some wonderful opportunities to dig into what is going on in the now. And so those are things that students can contribute uniquely. We also have a student advisory council. I'm really excited about our student advisory council. That is one of our program coordinators, Elizabeth Lester, runs that program. And we have invited representatives from organizations across our campus and a wide variety, like folks who might not always sit down at the table right together to come together and give us feedback and give us advice on kind of gaps in services, what they think, how they think our messaging is going, ideas to bring more people into that informed circle. And so that is yet another way that people can be involved. We also offer regularly something that we call Bystander intervention. I think some, many people might know about the idea of a bystander, but essentially it is the idea that interpersonal violence does happen in social environments and people are often witnesses or present to the acts of violence themselves. Or of course, the items leading up to that, the events that lead up to that. So what we know is that people have an opportunity to interrupt that. That violence. But we have to put that in real context and talk about, we use case scenarios, we get students to talk about the different ways that they could interrupt that in. In ways that are realistic. Right. And using realistic examples. So it's not just a lecture. It's very much focused on engaging students where they're at. We also have our Every Voice book club, if you can believe it. And I'm going to be honest with you, when we started it, I was like, will we have enough folks to come together who want to discuss a book each month focused on interpersonal violence? But the answer to that, I'm happy to tell you, is yes. Yeah, we have the different members explore that. And that's the space where we've had lots of graduate students get involved in helping to facilitate the book. So the members choose the books and then they talk about it and kind of process it. And I think one of the things to remember is that interpersonal violence, as I said, is part of all communities and, and there's many forms of interpersonal violence. So it really is kind of sad that it is woven into the fabric of every day and everyone, whether they're aware of it or not, knows a survivor of interpersonal violence. Just because how common that is. I will tell you, I'm using the word survivor. Victim is. Is another way of saying that. But victim. Most survivors I know do use that language of survivor to identify because it puts the emphasis on the fact that they. That healing is possible, that they have come through that and even though they all have been victimized, that it is not the thing that actually defines them. And survivor is more resonant with that. [00:29:54] Speaker A: I appreciate you making that distinction. And you know, even as I think about some of the earlier things you said, Elle, with your peer educators and ambassadors that go out and they do those programs, because I have no doubt the level of training that you're providing these students to ensure that they're providing evidence based information on this topic, their help, they're helping correctly dispel any misconceptions related to interpersonal violence and statistics that are out there. And in also making those distinguishing things related to the Fact that someone wants to be known as a survivor and not just as a victim and what that represents in terms of the healing that takes place there. And, you know, you mentioned all of the different ways that students can get involved. And you mentioned so many different things. And really, you know, when I hear those, I think that our students are thinking, wow, there are different levels of ways I can get involved. You know, am I wanting to pursue this as a possible internship opportunity and the center is a place I can do that is my time and bandwidth more where it would be consistent with being part of the Greek safe program because I'm part of that Greek community or being an ambassador and getting to go into those academic spaces? So I appreciate you sharing that with our listeners. I know we've got to take another break, but on the flip side of things, we want to acknowledge that this month is. It's April and it is Sexual assault Awareness month. And so we want to talk about the lineup that the center has for activities on campus. But until then, listeners, grab something to drink and get hydrated. Run to the restroom. Do what you got to do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the Capstone. Wvuafm tuscaloosa. Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. If you are just now joining us, goodness, goodness, goodness. You have got to go back and listen to the earlier sections of our show. We are talking with Dr. Elle, Siobhan Maganya and Shannon Welch from the Camellia Center. And Elle was just sharing with us the different ways that students can get plugged into the Camellia center, whether through internship opportunities, being a volunteer as an ambassador for the center, being part of the Greek safe program. We've also had Shannon talk about how to students can receive clinical services and what to expect in that experience. But I now want to acknowledge that it is the month of April and April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Elle, I would love to know why is this month important, especially on a college campus? [00:32:55] Speaker C: That's a great question. I think that honoring Sexual assault awareness month is important for a number of reasons. The first being that these are difficult topics to engage with. They're difficult to talk about. And so again, creating space and saying this is important and we're going to do this and make this something that the public is invited to engage with is what happens in Sexual assault awareness Month. Breaking the silence is kind of been a consistent theme throughout from Year to year, along with believing survivors. And so Sexual Assault Awareness Month gives us that opportunity to have survivors think about and honor their healing and resilience. It also invites our broader community to take a position against sexual violence and invites folks to engage and contribute where they can and how they can, whether that's just by, you know, wearing a teal ribbon or coming to an event or, you know, having a conversation. That's important, disclosing, you know, asking how they can help somebody that they know who's experienced sexual violence. So those are things that. And I think putting those messages out in a public way and normalizing talking about sexual violence and the fact that it happens, happens in all communities. [00:34:22] Speaker A: Sure. Well, I know we're about to talk about some of the events that the Camellia center is hosting this month, but, Shannon, I'm curious, from, from your perspective in the clinical team, how does the clinical team get involved with Sexual Assault Awareness Month? [00:34:38] Speaker B: Well, you know, you asked, you asked a question earlier about what does it mean to be trauma informed? And part of that is recognizing in every room, in every space, there are survivors. And so we want to be, we want to acknowledge that. So our presence is there. If anybody is emotionally activated from the experience, they want to participate. They are, you know, reclaiming their voices. They're. This is their way of, part of their healing and giving back. But we want to support them. And so knowing that if some things come up for them emotionally, that they have someone with clinical experience that can be there to guide them and help them and assist. And if somebody is wanting to disclose for the first time, like, maybe they hear this and this is like really resonating with them so that they have somebody, a professional there, a licensed professional there that can guide them to the resources that they need. [00:35:30] Speaker A: That is incredible. I love the fact that you, that you, your team is so forward thinking and knowing that it's important to have those types of professionals at those programming events. And so, Elle, what kinds of events are happening this month? [00:35:48] Speaker C: Well, we kick off the month with our Take Back the Night march and rally. This is something we have done the full 25 years that I have been here and really connects us to part of a movement that is happening internationally. So in this case, night is a metaphor for the fear and trauma that people experience with sexual violence. But we're doing this in partnership with a number of student organizations and groups across campus. And I really am so grateful for that support and joining in solidarity of folks saying, like, this is an important issue for us to talk about and that is on the first in front of our Denny chimes at 6 o' clock and we will hear from a lineup of speakers. We will have some music from the Afro American Gospel Choir. We will hear from speakers that include our student government association and some other student leaders. And then we will march in protest and we will have a moment of silence to honor and recognize survivors. The following week we have a kind of a therapeutic art based program that we invite everyone, survivors and allies and our general community to participate in called Survivors Bloom from Within. We will invite folks to make a an arrangement of flowers that they put together and they will also get to connect with other resources, our office and other resources on campus and learn about the many resources and supports available. And that includes you know our office of Health Health Promotion and Wellness, our Title 9 office, our law enforcement officers. Many different groups are folks that people who have experienced sexual violence might encounter. And we want people to feel comfortable accessing those and know and make informed choices about what resources they might want to access. Then we also have a very exciting because it's our first year, our kickoff year of our fundraiser called Matt and Meaning and and it is therapeutic yoga and movement and that will be housed at the University Recreation center. And it is a fundraiser. It's $10 and folks can buy individual tickets at the door. But we've also had some support from campus partners and student organizations and that is the for the early birds a 7:00am a 12:15, a 3:00 clock and 5:15. And that is because we have heard from our students once again student voice telling us that this is something that they enjoy doing. And I think it is a way of being very in the moment and mindful and present and also feeling strong and powerful in our bodies. And yoga is an evidence based practice also in working with survivors. Then we have from awareness to action, child advocacy and abuse prevention. Not everyone who has experienced sexual violence has experienced that as adults. Sometimes many times people have come with prior histories of abuse entering our campus with experiences of being victimized as children. And so this is a panel of resources and experts to talk about that issue. You then throughout the month we will have our teal tables and that is information tables where we will have students engaging. We'll have some fun buttons. Buttons were popular when I was a student in the 80s and they are definitely back and those messages have come from our students but we will have information again about resources available. And so those are just some of the highlights with this year's theme 25 Years Looking Back. And moving forward, though, much progress has been made in the way that we talk about. The fact that we're even talking about sexual violence in a public way shows a lot of progress. [00:40:01] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:40:01] Speaker C: But we know much work is left to be done. One of the things that people ask me is what can I do? And I would say my, one of my number one answers is stop blaming victims. And sadly, our default is, I think, to blame victims. And sometimes that comes in subtle forms thinking, oh, that could never happen to me or here's what I would have done in that situation. Right. But we don't, we don't want to hold survivors accountable for the abuse that they've experienced. We want to hold the folks that have inflicted that violence accountable. And also we want to move from just individual responsibility models saying, what did that person do? What did that person not do? To why is this such a common thing that is shared with our global partners? Right. And so looking at what is it about our societies and our culture that either facilitates or hinders violence from happening. [00:40:58] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, you know, Elle, with the, the lineup that you've shared, it's incredible because I feel like it's this nice balance of providing education about these topics and also empowering people to be advocates too. So even with what you've mentioned about specific statements or thought processes that are victim blaming, centered, the, those examples that you shared, I think that's incredible for our listeners to know, especially for those that, who are just having the realization as they listen to this. Wow, I didn't realize how problematic that is. And so the fact that we have this month to be able to do this and that it's celebrated in such a way that students and the rest of our UA community can get involved is really fantastic. I know you've kind of shared the highlights of things and we will have to take another break. But if, you know, students are wanting to learn more about these events or, you know, see where they are, would going to the Camellia center website be the best place or seeing it on the My Source calendar? Is there a centralized way that students and other individuals can find out about these events? [00:42:12] Speaker C: Great question. Yes, please. We'd love to have folks visit our website and all of the information will be posted there. We also have an ask out to have folks join our email listserv so that they can get messages directly. But yes, we've also many of these events are registered for our Greek points and our Capstone Wellness Explorer points with SGA and that helps them connect these issues to other issues. That are about holistic health and well being for individuals and communities. [00:42:46] Speaker A: Fantastic. Well, y', all, we've got to take another quick break and then we're going to be closing out the show with Ellen Shannon this afternoon. But stick tight. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. Wvuafm tuscaloosa. Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And today we are talking about the Camellia center and sexual assault awareness month that is happening during the month of April. And with that conversation we have Dr. El Siobhan Maganya and Shannon Welch from the Camellia Center. And ladies, I cannot tell you just how, how lucky I feel to have had these conversations with both of you today to really talk about not only the clinical services provided by the center, but the robust level of programming that you all have. And I know that, you know, we have our last five minutes of today's episode and I'm curious, and this question is for either of you, both of you, if listeners remember just one thing about the Camellia center, what do you [00:44:05] Speaker B: hope it is number one that we're here? That's the most important thing. Absolutely, we are here. I had mentioned earlier than the tagline we have every with you every step of the journey. And it is a journey. Healing is a journey. And we want to be here as a companion and a guide on it. And lastly, I would say a lot of times people will say when you tell them what, what you do, like, oh, that's so heavy. I don't know how you do that. But it is really uplifting work seeing people start that healing and be on that journey. It's very uplifting and encouraging and empowering work. And so what we do is just really, it's, it is really uplifting. I don't know another word to use for that, but it really is. [00:44:55] Speaker A: Absolutely, absolutely. I appreciate you sharing that. And I know in the previous segment, Elle, you were talking about the best way for students and community members to stay connected with your events. I know that you talked about getting signed up for the center's listserv to stay abreast of things, getting to go on the website. And I think the last thing that I would like to ask, and Elle, I'm going to ask this to you, particularly as the director of this center, you know, given the time frame that you have been with the Camellia center, what drives you in your work? You Know what is it? That is the going force that keeps you working in the work that you do and particularly at the University of Alabama. [00:45:42] Speaker C: Well, that is a big question, but I will try to answer that by saying that healing is possible and healing is possible not just for individuals but for communities. And we don't have to have interpersonal violence, right? That is, we can unlearn those things that we've learned that support violence and we can make a difference. And a difference is happening. I have seen that, even some really positive transformations in my time and 25 years at our on our campus. And as I mentioned, I think most people do not want to commit act of violence. And so I think there's an opportunity to educate and to do better than we're doing today. Tomorrow could look better, right? But we do have to make a connection. We have to acknowledge that it happens. We have to be aware of that. Then we have to be honest about that. These are complex issues and so there's no magic wand, right? It takes investment, it takes thoughtful application of evidence based practices and it takes everyone. And so everyone can make a difference, whether that is at just having a compassionate response to a survivor disclosure or taking the time to, you know, get involved in one of our programs. Everyone can make a difference because it is an issue that impacts everybody. [00:47:11] Speaker A: I don't know anyone who could have said that better. I am so grateful for that statement. I think that's a great way to end the show. And again, I want to thank both of you for your time today, your clear passion for this topic and I'm so grateful for the resources that you provide to our capstone community. And so, listeners, I hope you have the best week. Next time, Nika is going to be joining us and I again, if you're listening to today's episode, please tell your friends and family to listen in too. This has been such an incredible conversation and we just hope you have the best week. You have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Mika on 90.7 the capstone. Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.