Reposting this web-gem from here, because we love the way it puts the focus and responsibility for sexual assault back onto perpetrators!  Female-identified people get a lot of messages about what we need to do to keep ourselves safe and minimize our risk of sexual assault (carry our keys in our hands to use as weapons, don’t listen to headphones while out walking alone, and, heck, don’t even walk alone at all!), when in reality, the recent National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey conducted by the CDC found that over half of all reported rapes were committed by a current or former partner, with an additional 40% being committed by an acquaintance known to the survivors.  Only one in seven rapes were committed by strangers.  This list is also great because it  decentralizes the role of the survivor’s gender in sexual assault and intimate partner violence.  As the CDC survey also points out, male-identified folks are also victims of sexual violence, which is sadly under-reported due to stigma.   So with those facts in mind, here are some sexual assault prevention tips guaranteed to work:

2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!

4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.

5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!

6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.

9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn’t ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are commiting a crime- no matter how “into it” others appear to be.

Organization’s Mission:

The Doula Project is an NYC-based organization that provides free compassionate care and emotional, physical, and informational support to women and people across the spectrum of pregnancy. We work to create a society in which all pregnant women and people have access to the care and support they need during their pregnancies and the ability to make healthy decisions for themselves, whether they face birth, miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal anomaly, or abortion.

The Doula Project has local and national programming. Locally, we organize and train volunteers on the doula model of care in abortion clinics. We place our trained doulas in clinics that we partner with and manage the relationship between the two. We also partner with an adoption agency and birth centers in NYC to provide free birth doula support to their clients. We organize monthly meetings for our doulas which include skills-based trainings and a chance to talk about their experiences as doulas and connect with other doulas in the project. Nationally, we provide training, guidance, and resources to activists and health professionals interested in the abortion doula model of care.

Internship Description:

A huge part of being a doula is having the desire and capacity to support another person through a powerful physical and emotional journey: pregnancy. This spring, we are looking for an awesome and engaged intern to help us serve people across the spectrum of pregnancy in New York City clinics and hospitals in the following ways:

• 60% of the intern’s position will be to work as a doula daily in the abortion clinics we partner with. At the onset of the internship, we will provide our intern with a 12-hour classroom training we provide on the abortion doula model of care, followed by supervised clinic training. Interns will spend 5-8 hours a day serving as a doula and patient advocate, 4-5 days a week, or as needed. This involves traditional doula roles of providing emotional, physical, and informational support to clients. Interns will be with clients before, during and after procedures. They will spend time in the waiting and recovery rooms and be present in the procedure and operating rooms while patients undergo their terminations.
• 5% of the internship will be time to read, watch, and learn about all the different aspects of pregnancy. In order to be a good doula, it is very important the intern have a comprehensive understanding of what happens during pregnancy and its outcomes. We will facilitate this by providing reading material, opportunities to attend workshops and trainings, and significant opportunities to watch abortion procedures and speak with residents and attending doctors.
• 15% of the internship will be working on the birth side of our project. (If an intern is already trained as a birth doula, this time could be more significant). We do not provide certified birth doula training, but there will be opportunities to attend a birth with a trained doula, meet our clients and partner organizations, and speak with birth doulas who are part of our project. We will also provide opportunities for the intern to learn about adoption and attend trainings with our partner organization, Spence Chapin. If an intern chooses to do their birth doula training in conjunction with this internship we will include their training time as part of the internship and help match them to birth clients. If an intern is already a doula, we will match them to birth clients at the onset of their internship.
• 20% of the internship will be to provide programmatic and communications support to the project coordinators. This includes: helping organize monthly meetings, sending out scheduling reminders to doulas, updating our website and social networking sites, editing and writing pieces of our training toolkit, and other tasks as they come up.
• If an intern is interested in working on an independent project for 10-15% of their time, the above percentages of time are negotiable.

The Doula Project was started by two pro-choice birth doulas, one of whom will be the intern’s direct supervisor. We have been building our organization for more than four years, and this spring promises to be a very exciting and groundbreaking time for us. Being allowed into the room with a person who is facing birth or abortion is an awesome responsibility, an amazing opportunity, and above all, a privilege. We look forward to having the support, energy, and skills that a intern would bring to our work.

Skills Needed:

• previous clinical experience ideal, clinical inclination a must;
• currently a birth doula and/or strong knowledge of pregnancy, childbirth and abortion; if not currently a birth doula, willing to seek out training and scholarships with the DP’s assistance;
• interested in direct service work, working with patients/clients daily;
• ability to communicate easily and effectively with large groups of people;
• capacity to support people facing difficult and emotional situations;
• capacity to work in high-stress, high-endurance settings;
• capacity to work in hospitals/clinics daily, not behind a desk in an office;
• extremely extroverted, outgoing personality, comfortable with meeting new people daily;
• comfortable working with medical professionals and being exposed to blood and medical procedures, including second trimester abortion procedures (remember, they’re much different than first trimester procedures!)
• comfortable with touching patients/clients and providing physical support measures;
• self-motivated and independent;
• comfortable with taking on leadership roles;
• basic computer skills;
• strong written and oral skills

We want to stress that this is a direct service position – anyone looking to work in an office should not apply. While this position will be highly supervised, the nature of this work is geared toward people who are interested in working independently with patients as well as in collaboration with doctors and medical professionals. Since the majority of the direct service work will involve talking to patients, hearing their stories, and advocating for them, we are looking for someone who is outgoing, a good listener, and has A LOT of patience and tact. Additionally, because we work in hospitals, interns will be drug-tested at the beginning of the internship as part of the hospital physical and should be prepared to pass that test.

Language Requirements: English; Spanish highly desired.

Location: The internship takes place in various clinics and hospitals throughout the NYC area, mainly in Manhattan and Brooklyn, all near public transportation. We currently run our abortion service out of one of NYC’s largest public hospitals, Planned Parenthood’s , and Choices Women’s Center in Long Island City, Queens.

Work Hours: Flexible Hours, Minimum 20 hours per week. Schedules will be given on a monthly basis and will be based on the needs of the clinic. If the intern is attending a birth, scheduling arrangements will be made to accommodate time off depending on the length and timing of the labor. Administrative tasks may be done from home, if preferred. We are happy to honor requests made in advance for time off. Please note that there are times where we may need a doula urgently, without much advance notice. Unless the intern has requested time off beforehand, s/he will be the first person we contact.

Dress Code: Casual and clean, but professional. No bra straps, midriff-bearing tops, mini-skirts or shorts; comfortable shoes. Scrubs can either be bought beforehand or can be provided as needed, usually at least one day a week.

How to apply:

Please write a cover letter that includes a brief personal statement that responds to the following questions (limit 100-500 words): What does the phrase “Spectrum of Choice” mean to you? How do you see this phrase as being relevant to being a doula?

Please also submit a resume highlighting your work in reproductive health, rights, or justice, counseling, social work, doula work, our health services. Please also submit 2 references who would not mind being contacted.

Applications must be submitted by November 27th, 2011 to lauren@doulaproject.org

Registration for the 2011 RISE Conference is open!

RISE is a grassroots collective of social workers and activists in NYC. We create spaces where progressive and radical ideas can be shared to build knowledge, skills and community. We want to inspire social workers to create a world where the need for social work is made obsolete.

RISE hosts an annual social justice  conference and year round events intended to empower students and recent professionals to become effective agents of social change. It focuses on creating strong coalitions, increasing interdisciplinary dialogue, and developing skills in order to transform institutional social problems.

RISE is open to everyone interested in creating a more equitable world.  Although the conference is specifically geared towards social workers and social work students, the topics it covers are relevant to a wide range of people.  If you want to be part of a day dedicated to addressing structural injustice, there is a place for you at RISE.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

9:00am-6:00pm
West Brooklyn Community High School

sliding scale $10-35

This year will host over 20 social justice workshops, arts and media presentations, and discussions geared to creating connections among social justice workers and activists. These diverse sessions are dedicated to creating systemic change and dismantling institutional oppression. Check out the broad range of topics by reading the workshop descriptions online.

Register now or learn more by visiting our website.  Last year we sold out quickly and had a huge waitlist, so register ASAP!

***This year we have moved to a cash-only system as part of our anti-capitalist values. This will require that you mail payment to complete your registration. More info is on our website.***

 We are also looking for folks to volunteer at the conference! Volunteers are a crucial part of having a successful day and are able to attend the conference for free! If you are interested in volunteering at the conference, email volunteer@riseconference.org.

Organizing Collective
RISE: Social Work to End Oppression
info@riseconference.org
www.riseconference.org
on.fb.me/RISE-FB
@riseconference

FTB would like to announce the next event in the Birds of Summer Series: A benefit show to celebrate “The Worst”–a compilation zine exploring contributors’ experiences with grief and loss from radical, D.I.Y., and alternative viewpoints.  The show will help to raise money to cover printing costs for the zine, which has sold nearly 1500 copies since its inception in 2008.  There will be music, readings, snacks, awesome raffle items, and even a puppet show!  Provided that by Saturday, September 3rd, everyone is safe, dry, and mobile again after the hurricane, we’d love to welcome everyone to come out and have a good time supporting a zine which seeks to build community around the universal (and often difficult) experience of loss.

Details below:

“Who’d ya lose & How ya Dealin’?”:
A benefit show for The Worst: Compilation Zine on Grief and Loss

Saturday September 3, 2011
Death by Audio // 49 S. 2nd St. between Kent & Wythe
L to Bedford or B62 to Driggs/S. 2nd
ALL AGES // NO BYOB
$6-10 Sliding Scale
Doors @ 8pm

FEATURING:
Bands:
Bridge and Tunnel
Worriers
Slingshot Dakota

Readings by:
Cynthia Schemmer
Tommy Pico
Maria Arettines
Sarah Hanks
Kathleen McIntyre
and more!

Tabling by:
For the Birds Collective
Birdsong Collective

Puppetry by:
Geppetta Whimsy-Core Puppet Theater

Women’s Work is a collaborative textiles sculpture for female-identified survivors of rape and abuse involving radical sewing circles and holistic healing. The artist, Amanda Millis states, “I want to create the safest world community for survivors of rape, violence, and trauma.”

The project is partially funded by the Brooklyn Arts Council and the New York Department of Cultural Affairs, and the rest will come from the upcoming “Artists Fighting Rape” fundraiser at Teddy’s Bar and Grill in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY.  The $10 suggested entry fee gets you food and drink specials. You can donate as little or as much as you want.

Check out this amazing annual FREE event that showcases female hip hop artists, with a special focus on women of color.

Talent Line Up:

La Bruja
Freeflowin
NeMiss
Maria Isa
Ne Ne Ali
P.E.M.G.
Ladies of the Flow
Xclusive Step Team
L’Naru’
A-FIG MC & Skyler Figueroa
La PiXie
Akua Naru
Fly Vida
I-SHEA
Infinity
Emperess
DJ Jasmine Solano
DJ Bonnie Danger
DJ Chela ]]> http://www.forthebirdscollective.org/2011/03/mamas-hip-hop-kitchen-this-saturday-march-5th/feed/ 0 http://www.forthebirdscollective.org/2011/01/spotlight-on-sistas-on-the-rise/ http://www.forthebirdscollective.org/2011/01/spotlight-on-sistas-on-the-rise/#comments Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:07:09 +0000 Kathleen http://www.forthebirdscollective.org/?p=695 Sistas on the Rise is an amazing south Bronx-based collective working to empower and support young mothers and women of color.  They urgently need donations!! Sistas on the Rise is unique in that they create space for youth to do hands-on organizing for themselves, enacting their goal of empowerment through their everyday process.  This is exactly the kind of sustainable feminist groundwork that we love to see happening, and they’ve been doing it since 2003!!!  Upcoming events include the Teen Talk Back Uptown Youth Series and a concert with Rebel Diaz.  Here is some of their herstory from their website:

Established in 2003, Sistas on the Rise is a collective of young mothers, women and girls working with each other to create alternatives that will allow us to sustain economically instead of revolving in the cycle of poverty.  We want to make sure that we own our lives, cultivate healthy futures and realize our dreams.

We utilize popular education, community organizing, spiritual grounding, cultural values and traditions to provide a youth-led program that cultivates a safe space for healing, nurturing, self-growth, social and economic justice. Sistas on the Rise offers an afterschool young mothers leadership development  with free childcare; mother/daughter mentoring, wholistic sex and sexuality workshops: tutoring; college tours; arts and activism classes; organizing, parenting and life skills classes etc.

You can Donate here, or take a look at their Wish List to see if you can help out in other ways.

Why discuss grief processing on a feminist blog? For me, working towards an authentic, community-based model of grief processing is an inherently feminist act.  On a basic level, radical feminism seeks empowerment for those who are subjugated or harmed by the patriarchal capitalist mainstream.  As we are socialized into this system, we are often taught to suppress or contain our emotions and feelings lest we be labeled “hysterical,” “bitchy,” “weak,” or “too much.”  And yet, racism, sexism, homophobia, able-ism and other structural inequalities in our society justifiably invoke outrage in anyone who dares to expose or work against injustice.  We are told, as usual, that we cannot trust our own voices, feelings, and experiences of the everyday losses that those holding power in our society depend upon to maintain control.

Often, our reactions to the deaths of important people in our lives are forced into specific templates or time frames that don’t always reflect our true needs.  We may experience few instances of genuine support amidst the hospitals, Hallmark cards, and “Stages of Grief” we are supposedly moving through.  This repression and denial of grief inhibits authentic communications from occurring around the universal experience of loss and alienates us from one another during times when we may need other people the most.  To claim our grief—to claim that our relationships with each other matter–within this climate of isolation and denial is feminism in action.  Any method by which we can reclaim our authentic selves results in empowerment and creates a space for more of us at the collective table (yes, even we who grieve, we who struggle with illness and chronic pain, who have survived sexual assault, addiction, intimate partner violence, the list goes on. . . )

In her book, Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World, the wise eco-anarcha-feminist Pattrice Jones explains that feelings must be spoken in order for healing to occur.  Noting that language is an inherently social activity by which we communicate meaning to others, she concludes: “one general principle of good emotional health is to talk about your experiences and feelings” (38).   The Worst seeks to provide a space for us to practice making meaning out of chaos by trying to find words for what we have lived.  The process of writing or speaking our truths is itself a healing process, and enacts our feminist refusal to collude with the denial of our emotions.

The dual purpose of the zine is to help us become more comfortable with providing support for those who are grieving, something we are rarely taught.  Words are not only spoken and written but also heard and read.  Jones continues: “one way to help create a healthy . . . community is to listen with empathy when other people talk about their experiences and feelings” (38).   Becoming an active witness to other’s loss narratives is an essential part of community healing.  This entails welcoming conversations about loss that are usually deemed taboo: transforming our “worst” experiences into something from which we can and will recover together.

Hello Everyone!

First and foremost thank you for an amazing turn out and great participation–we felt that this year’s Big She-Bang was a great success! However, what’s most important is what you thought! We have gained invaluable insight into how we can better work with our larger community from conducting post-event surveys in the past and we take your responses very seriously. Please take a moment to fill out our survey about this year’s event: what worked for you and what didn’t? What could we have done better? What was the most important part of the day for you? Your responses will be anonymous.

SURVEY

We look forward to your responses and to another year of working together to create spaces where New York City’s D.I.Y. feminist culture can thrive!

xoxoxo,
For the Birds

The Big She-Bang is an annual event that takes place every August. It was originally the brain child of the Long Island Womyn’s Collective, an amazing group which included several current For the Birds members. This will be the third year that the Big She-Bang takes place in New York City and we hope you can join us!!

We are currently working out the logistics of the event, and will post more details as it comes together. If you want to explore, brainstorm, or dialogue about a way you would like to participate, please get in touch to collaborate with us!

Our theme for this year reflects and builds upon a lot of the experiences we have had organizing among ourselves and in collaboration with other people and groups in New York.  As a group of womyn-identified organizers, we quickly found that our socialization often left us ill-equipped to communicate authentically with each other. It was often difficult to talk through disagreements, to balance participation and tasks among members, and to form meaningful alliances with other feminist groups.

Since the Big She-Bang IV in August of 2009, we have been working to develop frameworks that help us to use conflict for growth, to challenge each other in a caring and patient way, and to explore our privileges, oppression, and the diversity of experiences that makes a group so powerful.

At the same time, we have been continually inspired and motivated in this process by the insightful and daring feminist communications all around us: whether through music, writing, speech, art or social justice projects that have tremendous impact on improving peoples’ quality of life and challenging the system.

We have learned that engaging with the task of communication is required by our quest for empowerment. Thus, this year’s Big She-Bang seeks to acknowledge, explore and celebrate this task within and across feminisms.