Transitioning Times

As a parent, grandparent, and educator, I am keenly aware that our kids, with or without our help, are going to get information about sex!   The only thing we have on our side as adults is that we get to choose if our kids are getting their information from television, the internet, pornography, the teens next door, or if they are going to get it from us, their responsible, caring adults.  It struck me a few years ago that as one of those responsible, caring adults, it was important that my own approach to sexuality was healthy.  How could I guide the children in my care to a healthy, wholesome attitude toward their sexuality, otherwise?             It was not until I started working as a prevention education specialist that I realized that I did not have a healthy attitude toward sexuality.  My childhood questions about my body parts were treated largely with dire warnings about what could happen to li...

"I’m tired." I heard it again this morning. From time to time I hear advocates or even practically the entire staff talking about feeling tired. Especially on a Friday! I feel this way sometimes too as I’m sure everyone does. But the kind of tired we occasionally feel as an advocate can be a bit different than the fatigue from not sleeping well or having been sick or having experienced physical exertion. As an advocate, we often experience the kind of fatigue that goes hand-in-hand with the emotional and mental toll our work can have on us. Regardless of our role at Transitions, we are all affected by the work we do. In each position, we are constantly thinking about the wide variety of abuse experienced by individuals, the well-being of survivors, available resources, how we as Transitions can better serve clients and the community. We are working directly with adults and children at our safe-houses, through the legal system, in conjunction with other human service ...

I think I can speak for many of us when I say we take advantage of how good we have it in life.  We tend to overlook aspects of our daily lives, and you don’t realize the importance of these facts until you’re in a time of crisis.  Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault need a strong support system to get through the trauma they’ve endured, whether they realize it or not.   In the past couple months, I have come to notice that having a strong support system is a common characteristic needed to get through the overwhelming, hard times for these women.  I have seen a mother of two young children struggle to make it on her own and create a life for her and her children away from their domestic abuse situation because she had absolutely no support from any loved ones.  I have also seen a woman make the decision to finally leave her abusive husband; although she did not have much money or self-esteem, she was lucky enough to have so many caring indiv...

The end of 2016 brought tragedy to the Susquehanna Valley.  PA State Trooper Landon Weaver was shot and killed when responding to a PFA violation .  Shortly before that, two police officers were shot and one was killed responding to domestic disturbance in Pittsburgh . Too many times, law enforcement deaths are related to responding to domestic violence calls.  In a study of U.S. law enforcement line of duty deaths by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 20% of the 132 officers killed responding to dispatcher calls or investigating unusual activity were killed relating to domestic disturbance calls.  We already know that domestic violence is potentially fatal.  Of all homicides with femalevictims, 45% were committed by intimate partners .  At Transitions, we are trying to do what we can to prevent homicides related to domestic violence by implementing the Lethality AssessmentProgram in our area.   But we, as a so...

Do you really know what human trafficking is in the U.S.?  Do you know what it looks like? Do you know who the people are that sexually exploit victims and why they do this? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you need to attend the Human Trafficking Symposium being hosted by the North Central Human Trafficking Response Team Faith Committee, where these and other questions will be answered.  The symposium, Open Your Eyes: Reasons, Responsibilities, and Responses to Combat Child Sexual Exploitation Symposium for the Faith Community, will be held at two locations: Faith Wesleyan Church, 1033 Tucker Street, Williamsport, on January 27 th , and at Christ Wesleyan Church, 363 Stamm Road, Milton, on January 28 th .  This symposium will bring awareness and education to our churches, our communities, provide information regarding physical and social indicators, list the effects of complex trauma for human trafficking victims, and inform those in attendance of t...

Human trafficking is a problem that we cannot and must not ignore. The U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee on Investigations recently reported on the serious problem of online sex trafficking with a focus on Backpage.com, the leading online marketplace for commercial sex.  This worldwide website is valued at more than a half-billion dollars.  These earnings should not be surprising given that human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, second only to the trafficking of illegal drugs.  Once a dealer sells their drugs, more must be manufactured before additional profit can be made. A person can be trafficked over and over with little downtime, making it an attractive investment for unscrupulous people. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 73% of all child trafficking reports received from the public note connections to Backpage.com.  Backpage never denied that the site has been used for criminal activity, in...

 Transitions of PA is pleased to announce a very special video contest!  In this dating violence video contest, high school students attending schools in Northumberland, Snyder, or Union Counties can create a brief video focused on dating violence for their chance to win cash prizes. Entering the contest is easy… from now until February 14 th , 2017 students can create a 30-60 second video focusing on dating violence, this should include what a healthy relationship is, the signs of abuse and how to get help.  Participants should upload their videos to YouTube and send their links to heather_s@transitionsofpa.org . (There is an underscore _ between heather and s). When submissions are in, a team of staff members at Transitions will choose up to five finalists.  These videos will then be placed on Transitions’ Facebook page for the public to decide the winner by the number of “likes” each video receives.  Your team will be notified if your video is ...