It is hard work to do . However , they get to see that healing and get to see their clients redefine themselves outside of that trauma . It is pretty amazing !
Interviewer : You were very young - you said 21 .... volunteering to walk with someone and be a part of their struggle and hear the stories day in and day out is a really strong calling .
Charlene : It is ! Some people I believe are meant to do this work and others are not , just like any other form of work .
Interviewer : So you felt the call to serve women in this capacity ?
Charlene : I recognized that as a woman I was not as safe as the men in my life . I walked with friends who had traumatic experiences . I can identify with these women so easily .
I felt it was not ok that they walked that alone and believe they may have been the problem - society ’ s message is still victim blaming . So then , and now , it is important to me that we allow them to know this was not your fault and as a woman I support you .
Interviewer : What are some of the greatest challenges for the centre ?
I know what it is like to walk down the street in fear .
Charlene : Money , it is always money . Right now the grants we get are just that - grants . We have our base contract , our Women ’ s Program in particular - stopping the violence - has a wait list of 30-35 people at any given time . Women are waiting 3-6 months to get in - it is a long time to wait for help . The government just provided a bit of funding for 1 year , then what ?
So I understood from an inherent female perspective what it was like for those women who had literally just been violated . I think that it made it easier to walk with them .
Sexual violence is something people do not want to talk about . It is on the table but it is not on the table like some other issues . It is difficult to really get the community to want to honestly talk about the reality of sexual violence .
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