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Death of a Rape Crisis Center - Coggle Diagram
Death of a Rape Crisis Center
Background
Stood out among its peers
It was committed to serving marginalized groups. This included lesbian, gay, transgendered, and bisexual individuals, homeless youth, women in the sex industry, and people of color.
Closure In 1999
Big shock for everyone
Organized by a small group of volunteers from a Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)
Organizational Culture
Paired Characteristics
Mission driven and Feminist
Organizational strengths and shadows
Importance of relationships and Ambivalence about power and leadership
Organizational strengths and shadows
Institutional racism and Commitment to anti-oppression philosophy and work
Organizational strengths and shadows
Cumulative Trauma from Empathic and Redemptive Work
Staff and volunteers across the decades commented about how hard it was to listen to the stories and hear about another's pain and trauma
"The constant exposure to stories of trauma was hard."
"We need to be there for others. Our self care strategies were too superficial."
"To work on the line was really hard. It made me exasperated and sad. It made me see most men as potential rapists for a while."
"I needed a lot of support during that time because it was just so heart-wrenching."
Some commented about the difficulty of social change work
"Most people got burned out working with victims. We were only able to be 'Band-Aids' instead of solving the larger problem."
Two Traumatizing Events
Mid 1980s
Executive director of 6 years suddenly left
The relationship between the staff members and the executive director had deteriorated
It was like going home and finding out a family member was not there anymore. While trying to understand what happened, we still had to eat and do everyday things. We were panic stricken and in a state of shock. It took months before we came up with the idea of a co-directorship and started to function again.
Mid 1990s
One co-director, a woman of color, was fired.
Board-staff relationships began to fracture
"We feel that the interactions between the board members and women of color staff represent a classic example of the way in which racism affects our agency"
"We believe that a deep chasm has developed between the board and the staff that can only be lessened by opening the doors of communication."
Retraumatizing Events
Executive Director of 10 years left
Unsuccessful search for a new executive director
Interim strategy
Lack of communication
Last interim executive director
Fired staff
Tightened control over internal structure and systems
Questioned the future of various programs
Disbanded the volunteer staffing of the crisis line and negotiated its transfer to its sister agency