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SASKATCHEWAN TOWARDS OFFERING PARTNERSHIP SOLUTIONS TO VIOLENCE

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The laundry at your feet

27 Nov 2024 1:50 AM | Anonymous

- By Shaylyn White

I once read a story in which a character, anxious about the future, was asked to imagine they were surrounded by a mountain of laundry piled so high they couldn’t move. In this situation, if they let themselves worry too much about whether or not they could wash everything, the more anxious they’d become, and time would keep passing regardless. Because of this, the best thing they could do is start with the laundry at their feet. When people look too far ahead, they tend to get overwhelmed; by focusing on what’s within reach, they can gradually start to make progress, and eventually, the laundry gets done. 
 

People have a tendency to become paralyzed when faced with something bigger than they are. But while most people intuitively know and accept this about “bad” things, they’re less likely to realize that this can apply toal most anything. Instead of laundry, imagine you’re surrounded by a mountain of your favourite snacks. Sure, you might like it better than laundry, but you still can’t move, can you?   

I once had the opportunity to assist with a research project examining service responses to intimate partner violence within the 2SLGBTQ+ community. In this project, two seemingly contradictory ideas were found to co-exist: first, the belief that there were no tools and resources available for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, and second, that people could find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of options they had, leaving them with no idea where to start. But these ideas cease to be contradictory when you consider the “proximity” of the individual to the tools and resources being offered. Did these tools and resources feel within their reach? Or did it feel like they were being asked to go across the room when they couldn’t even move?    

The term “natural supports” refers to supports for those at risk of experiencing or using violence that don’t fall under the more traditional umbrella of formal service systems, such as family members, friends, neighbours, and coworkers. While traditional supports can appear to simultaneously exist in dearth and in abundance, participants in the aforementioned study spoke highly of natural supports, and I imagine that's because they felt more within their reach. There’s value in strengthening these natural supports, to ensure they’re better able to meet others where they’re at in times of need.  

As part of the Enhancing Impact project, we at STOPS to Violence sought to gather information about violence prevention tools and resources specifically geared towards natural supports. To learn more about our findings, click here for our summary report. And if you happen to know of any such tools and resources yourself, reach out to Shaylyn at shaylyn@stopstoviolence.com 

 


 We are on treaty territories, the traditional lands of First Nations people and homeland to the Métis.  We are committed to moving forward in a respectful way in the spirit of reconciliation.

Emailinfo@stopstoviolence.com

Phone: 306-565-3199

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