It’s been a very busy October. We have been facilitating discussions and workshops all over Massachusetts for domestic violence awareness month. If you have been to one of our trainings or webinars, you may have noticed something about me: I would make a terrible magician. 

As a facilitator, I like to show you all my cards right from the start. I may be brought in to lead a training on how to talk to your kids about creating healthy boundaries, but I’m also going to provide you with strategies and tools to articulate and set your own boundaries. You may bring me in to support your employees in utilizing a trauma-informed approach to the external work your organization does in the community, but I am also going to be explicitly talking about how we can apply a trauma-informed approach to the internal work of the organization. I’ll lead a training that includes how to connect folks to resources and centers the needs of the client(s) while also making sure that the attendees are connected to resources and have their needs met during our time together. 

Violence- especially domestic violence- thrives in isolation. Violence prevention is most effective when it is rooted in connection. At JTC, we structure every engagement whether it’s a one-time workshop or a multi-year partnership to foster connections between us and our clients and within the organization itself. We want to leave you feeling more connected to yourself and to those you interact with every day. And while the trainings and workshops are so much (too much?) fun, what has been most rewarding is seeing how relationships have been strengthened as a result of our work together. What does that look like? 

• It’s an employee who utilized a trauma-informed approach with a colleague only an hour after attending a workshop with us and was able to work through an ongoing challenging dynamic in a more productive and supportive way.

• It’s employees in one of our workshops sharing what brought them to their organization and, in doing so, finding deeper connections with their colleagues.

• It’s a player telling his coach about the trauma he has kept hidden for the four years he’s been on the team. 

• It’s connecting a parent with a local organization they didn’t know could support them and their child. 

It means so much to hear this feedback from the people and organizations who have partnered with us or attended one of our workshops. If you are a business or non-profit organization, partnering with JTC will increase your team’s ability to achieve desired outcomes by strengthening your employees’ connections to each other and to the organization’s mission. If you are a coach, our work together can deepen your players' investment in each other and give them the skills to hold each other accountable on and off the field. If you are a parent, we will provide you with space to reflect and ask questions and offer tangible skills to engage your child and bring you closer together. 

When you hire JTC or attend one of our trainings, you are showing those around you that this is an issue that you care about. And in doing so, you show your colleagues, your students, and/or your child that you care about them. 

A more connected community is a safer community. Partner with us to create safer and more connected workplaces, schools, and community spaces today!