Updates of the Semester--My Chosen NP

Soooooo.....I haven't blogged in 25 years. Well, in a very long time. So I think I shall blog a few times this week with what I have been doing this semester.

First, I finally picked my nonprofit. This nonprofit is dedicated "to help men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood live healthier, happier lives." This nonprofit, 1in6, also helps survivors' partners and family members, as well as professionals, by providing resources in order to help them help themselves and help the men in their lives that have been affected by traumatic sexual experiences.

Finally, a nonprofit aimed to help men.

A nonprofit like 1in6 is long overdue. The emphasis on the masculinity of men, on how men have to "man up" and take it, how men can't be subjected to sexual abuse...this stigma is ridiculous. That society tends to believe men shouldn't be embarrassed or humiliated by sexual experiences is especially heartbreaking because it can happen to them when they are boys. The sweet, inherent innocence of childhood is pushed out of the window the moment the boy is touched.

I have seen firsthand the affects of childhood sexual abuse in men and in boys. My twin brother--who is now twenty-two--has, only within the last few years, started hugging me. And I think that's because we attend college in two different cities, and being apart has made him miss me. Under different circumstances growing up in the same house, my brother hated touching anyone, or being touched, for that matter. (I was the opposite, being programmed to believe touch was necessary for approval and survival. I speculate this was the unknown cause of a lot of problems between us.) Character issues of my brother--who, in my opinion, hasn't sought healing or growth from his abuse--has caused a lot problems in his relationships with family members and his girlfriend of five years.

1in6 is for people like my brother. And me. And his girlfriend. And for the therapist he has yet to see.

In Between NPs

I'm behind. I will admit my Myers Briggs Personality results never let me forget I'm a procrastinator. But really, I need to find a more positive word. It's not that I procrastinate; I actually thrive under the pressure of pulling an all-nighter and quite a lot of my best ideas come from those last-minute oh-my-goodness-I'm-about-to-be-at-my-deadline freak-out moments. I think this personality characteristic always comes from a halfway diagnosis of adult ADHD.

Sorry, I digress. The point of my tangent is this: I have yet to figure out which nonprofit to choose as the basis for everything I do this semester in Writing for Change. At first I decided on The Children's Defense Fund because I strongly believe in their mission statement: "The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities." However, I for some reason became dissatisfied with my preliminary ideas for the organization. And so  I moved on.

In my search for a different nonprofit, I dug deeper into who I want to help. Children, yes, but more specifically (or differently, so as to not limit myself) victims of sexual abuse and rape. I was raised in a household where my primary caretaker (while my single father worked his butt off to support my brothers and me) abused my twin brother and me physically, verbally, and sexually. My twin brother got mostly physical, maybe the verbal, while I was more a victim of of the sexual and verbal abuse. Which is why I was attracted to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). For any of you fellow grammar policemen out there, I was quick to notice the lack of an Oxford comma. However, that is the extent of any criticism toward this nonprofit.

Another side note:

Yet even as worthy a cause as RAINN has, I feel that the organization may be too big for me. But their stats did lead me to 1in6, which led me to NO MORE (yes, this organization is pretty large, but I'm really liking it at the moment).

Right now I am in between these two organizations. I will be blogging about these two organizations (if I can figure out if NO MORE is a 501(c)(3)--I could have sworn I saw it listed as such a few days ago!!) with my research and thoughts about them. In the meantime, homework due tomorrow awaits. :)

~~Sara

Writing for Change: An Advocacy Class

I've made one blog in my entire life, and that was only last semester. And I did an awful job of keeping up with it. Thankfully, a new semester means a new start. And seeing as how one of my passions in life (besides music and earrings) is people--helping and learning about people, that is--a class blog that fuels my interest is the key to arresting my chronic hyperactivity long enough for me to actually post one.

So, why am I writing? My name is Sara, and my mission in life is to love other people. To treat them fairly and make decisions with justice in mind. I want to learn about the men and women and children that cross my path. Humans are flawed, and thus their impact and influence on the people around them aren't always positive. And here lies what engages me most: how does one's past affect his choices in life? How does the way she has been treated affect how she treat people, and why? But most importantly, how does a person grow from their roots without letting their roots strangle them?

And so, a quote. Yes, a cliche note to end on, but it's cliche for a reason, right? Quotes provide insight from those magnanimous people stored away in the history and literature books. Quotes are for those who want to learn from others before making their own mistakes, before making the decision of who they set out to be. Sorry, I digress.

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” --Albert Einstein

I'm ready to do something about it. 

~~ Sara