RE:Imagining Anti-Violence Work

In Episode 5, Steph is joined by Megan Schoetter, the Assistant Professor of Professional and Technical Writing at West Chester University and an anti-violence volunteer advocate. They explore how reading and writing practices for advocates can be used as a tool to prevent and combat compassion fatigue, especially when implemented organizationally and on agency time. Whether the phrase “reading and writing” gets you excited or brings up some anxiety, Megan dives into how the process can have a positive impact… and even get the self-proclaimed haters to change their tune!

Links

* Megan’s Blog Post: “Surviving and Thriving: Reading and Writing Practices of Survivor Advocates,” for Text Power Telling

* Crystal Ponti “What It’s Actually Like to Be Stalked by Joe”

* In Her Shoes, designed by Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

* Chanel Miller Know My Name

* Roxane Gay Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture

* Michelle Alexander The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

* WDBP Resource Page

* SOAR Collective Instagram

Guest Bio

Megan Schoettler is the the Assistant Professor of Professional and Technical Writing at West Chester University and an anti-violence volunteer advocate. She researches feminist activism and advocacy and has been published in peer-reviewed journals and books, including the book Rhetorica Rising: Feminist Rhetorical Methods for Social Change. Megan also contributed to the We Deserve Better Project as a reviewer.

Check out Megan’s faculty webpage for her contact information

More from the We Deserve Better Project

* We Deserve Better Project website

* WDBP Assessment Key Findings

* Get Involved with the WDBP

If you’re interested in being a guest on the podcast to share your experiences in the anti-violence field and/or your visions for a better future, email [email protected] with the subject line, “Podcast Guest”

Did this episode inspire you to donate to continue the work of the We Deserve Better Project?

When you give to the We Deserve Better Project, you’re fueling a movement for worker rights and survivor justice. Your support keeps our website alive, helps us share our vision through outreach materials, and provides the tools we need to connect with more anti-violence workers.

Show Credits

Host: Steph Klotz

Guest: Megan Schoetter

Producers: We Deserve Better Project team

Editor: Mo Lewis

Writers/Researchers: Steph Klotz

Graphic Designers: Merlin Paton-Usry & Jackie Strohm

Social Media Manager: Jackie Strohm

Music: Breathe In by Sappheiros

In Episode 4, Steph is joined by Kayla DeCant, the Project Director of Prevention & Outreach at Lewis University, working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and substance use/misuse on campus. They chat about the many challenges organizations face in funding the work, Kayla’s creative strategies for keeping programs afloat in these tumultuous times, and how she stays aligned to the mission while doing it.

Links

* Trauma Stewardship Academy

* Emergent Strategy

* WDBP Assessment Key Findings

* Get Involved with the WDBP

Guest Bio

Kayla DeCant is the Project Director of Prevention & Outreach at Lewis University, working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and substance use/misuse on campus. They are an experienced educator and research professional with a background in community and nonprofit violence prevention. Kayla’s facilitation philosophy draws from trauma-informed practices that focus on the community, intersectionality, and empowerment. Her experiences include youth organizing facilitations, restorative justice circles, classroom facilitation, professional development, and individual mentoring. Kayla received her Master’s Degree in Community Development and Action with a certificate in Women and Gender Studies from Vanderbilt Peabody College. They currently serve on Will County’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee, the Campus Advisory Committee for the National Organization for Victim Advocacy (NOVA), are on the Leadership Committee for the Campus Advocacy and Prevention Professionals Association (CAPPA), as well as on the board of the National Prevention Science Coalition (NPSC).

If you’re interested in being a guest on the podcast to share your experiences in the anti-violence field and/or your visions for a better future, email [email protected] with the subject line, “Podcast Guest”

Did this episode inspire you to donate to continue the work of the We Deserve Better Project?

When you give to the We Deserve Better Project, you’re fueling a movement for worker rights and survivor justice. Your support keeps our website alive, helps us share our vision through outreach materials, and provides the tools we need to connect with more anti-violence workers.

Show Credits

Host: Steph Klotz

Guest: Kayla DeCant

Producers: We Deserve Better Project team

Editor: Mo Lewis

Writers/Researchers: Steph Klotz

Graphic Designers: Merlin Paton-Usry & Jackie Strohm

Social Media Manager: Jackie Strohm

Music: Breathe In by Sappheiros

In Episode 3, Steph is joined by Jess H, former anti-violence worker, current mental health therapist, and author of the blog post A Point of View: On Promoting Self-Care as a Tactic of Worker Exploitation. Steph and Jess put agencies’ push for self-care under the microscope, and explore how this individualistic solution to an organizational issue can turn into another means of worker exploitation.

Links

* A Point of View: On Promoting Self-Care as a Tactic of Worker Exploitation

* Why Boundaries Are Essential Self-Care

* WDBP Assessment Key Findings

* Get Involved with the WDBP

If you’re interested in being a guest on the podcast to share your experiences in the anti-violence field and/or your visions for a better future, email [email protected] with the subject line, “Podcast Guest”

Show Credits

Host: Steph Klotz

Guest: Jess H

Producers: We Deserve Better Project team

Editor: Mo Lewis

Writers/Researchers: Steph Klotz

Graphic Designers: Merlin Paton-Usry & Jackie Strohm

Social Media Manager: Jackie Strohm

Music: Breathe In by Sappheiros

In Episode 2, Steph is joined by Hoiyan, a former anti-violence advocate, survivor, and current social work graduate student. Steph and Hoiyan unpack the challenges within the field, including burnout, toxic nonprofit cultures, and working in a hostile political climate. From comic books to grassroots resistance, they explore bold ways to reimagine a movement that too often recreates the harm it seeks to end.

Links

* Florida Department of Law Enforcement: Former FCADV CEO has been arrested

* A cautionary tale of power and corruption: CEO autonomy and board oversight at the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence

* Recommendations for Funders

* WDBP Assessment Key Findings

* Get Involved with the WDBP

Host: Steph Klotz

Guest: Hoiyan

Producers: We Deserve Better Project team

Editor: Steph Klotz

Writers/Researchers: Steph Klotz

Graphic Designers: Merlin Paton-Usry & Jackie Strohm

Social Media Manager: Jackie Strohm

Music: Breathe In by Sappheiros

Welcome to RE:Imagining Anti-Violence Work, our new podcast by the We Deserve Better Project. It’s a small space where we’re going to unpack the big issues currently impacting the anti-violence field, and collectively dream up a new future. New episodes will air on the first Monday of the month.

In our pilot episode, our host, Steph Klotz, is joined by one of the co-founders of the We Deserve Better Project to discuss the results of their National Assessment and visions for the future of anti-violence work.

Links

* We Deserve Better Project website

* WDBP Assessment Key Findings

* Get Involved with the WDBP

* What Works: Insights for Thriving Anti-Violence Organizations

Show Credits

* Host: Steph Klotz

* Guest: Jackie Strohm

* Producers: We Deserve Better Project team

* Editor: Steph Klotz

* Writers/Researchers: Steph Klotz

* Graphic Designers: Merlin Paton-Usry & Jackie Strohm

* Social Media Manager: Jackie Strohm

* Music: Breathe In by Sappheiros

Welcome to RE:Imagining Anti-Violence Work, the new podcast brought to you by the We Deserve Better Project.

Subscribe now! First episode out August 4th!