The snow is here!!
But that means the ice is here too. The snow is beautiful. The perpetually icy roads aren't quite as stellar- but I'm figuring it out. I put a boat load of rock salt and sand in the back of my truck for weight/traction and that has made a huge difference.
Now that I've been here a few months, I really do feel settled in. I know where I'm going. I know how to get places. I know where to direct students for help with things like scholarships and problems in their classes. I haven't turned the wrong way on a 1way street in months. I know how to get to Costco from just about any part of the city. I also know about 8 different places to view the Northern Lights (one of which is the McDonalds parking lot not too far from my house- not the best place, but it works in a pinch).
But the last month has been heavy. A lot of big, heavy problems that students have been bringing to the table. Abuse, sexual assault, depression, suicide. I've had a crash course in learning how to walk with students though issues like how to report and receive care after a rape. (crash course really just being a fly by the seat of our pants, figure it out as we go, kind of thing. Not the most preferable way to deal with issues like this). And then a few days later, what to do when a student is suicidal.
I learned very quickly that I didn't know some seriously key pieces information here- and honestly, no one around me could give me the answers I needed. So I've been on a quest to figure out this system. Particularly, how to report rape in Anchorage and get proper care for the victim.
Its not as simple as it sounds.
And its not something people talk about much.
I understand that. It is uncomfortable. And distressing. No one wants to think about rape. But avoiding the topic doesn't change the fact that sexual assault is staggeringly present in Alaska (and all over the world). Its more prevalent than you'd think- even in small communities in the Midwest. In the US, 1 in 6 women have statistically experienced sexual assault (16% of the population). In Alaska, that number is more then 1 in 3 women have experienced sexual assault. That is INSANE! 39% of women! I'm sitting in a coffee shop right now and can see 12 women in here with me. Statistically, 4 of them have experienced sexual assault. And even more troubling are the rates of child sexual assault in Alaska, which are 6 times the national average.
So I've been on a quest for a plan. What do I do when a student tells me they have been assaulted? What services are available for them? How do you best report this to the authorities? How do I get this information in the hands of other people who work with students (and the students themselves because they and their friends are struggling with these same things) because I know that we are all woefully ignorant in this area.
I've spent time the last few weeks meeting with different services and organizations around Anchorage. I've made some fantastic contacts, met with some interesting people who serve in this community and I finally feel like I know how to best advocate for my students when they tell me they have been assaulted. I know what to do now. And that is such a relief. Because, let me tell you, there is nothing worse then meeting with a young college student who just told you about the most horrific, terrifying thing in their life, and you are sitting there thinking "I have NO idea how to get them help. Where do I start?? What do I do??" And having a couple ideas for next steps but not knowing how to help them start the reporting and care process. And then essentially watching this girl dismissed by authorities.
Our world is so very broken.
John 1:15 The Light (Jesus) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Praise the Lord there is hope, even when things feel so broken.
