You Are Our Community
My name is Tori and I am one of the volunteer trainers with Warrior Sisters Eugene chapter. First, I want to say to our participants that we sincerely miss sharing a physical training space with you at Eugene Aikikai. YOU are our community. It is your participation and strength that inspires and motivates us to continue working to provide free, accessible, inclusive self-defense training to all womxn. As a trainer, I believe in the power of what we create when we are on the mat together. It has transformed my life, and I am so grateful for everyone who has participated since we began again in January creating community through self defense.
I imagine we are all feeling similarly disoriented by both the pace and the extent of the disruptions to our daily lives over the past several weeks. To all who are struggling with or anxious about their health or the health of loved ones during this crisis, our hearts go out to you and yours for wellness and healing. To all who provide healthcare and other essential services during this time, we see you (and acknowledge the risks you are taking daily to care for our community) and are infinitely grateful. While we are all trying to adjust to a new, uncertain, ever-changing reality, we want to reach out to you with resources and support to keep moving forward through this crisis together.
One way in which people have been coming together in response to this crisis is creating or fortifying mutual aid groups. Warrior Sisters wants to continue to serve by connecting you to these and other resources. Over the coming weeks we will be featuring resource lists, mental health tools, free online workouts, mindfulness tools, and self-care tips that we hope will help support our community.
“Stay Home, Stay Safe?”
Warrior Sisters also wants to acknowledge and provide immediate resources for womxn who may be co-quarantined with an abuser or self-isolated in a dangerous home situation (See For some people, social distancing means being trapped indoors with an abuser). If this is your situation, community resources are available in Eugene and nationwide and are listed at the end of this section.
We are learning that orders to shelter in place in response to this pandemic can affect survivors in several ways:
Abusive partners may withhold necessary items, such as hand sanitizer, disinfectants, and medicine.
Abusive partners may share misinformation about the pandemic to control or frighten survivors, or to prevent them from seeking appropriate medical attention if they have symptoms.
Abusive partners may withhold insurance cards, threaten to cancel insurance, or prevent survivors from seeking medical attention.
Programs that serve survivors may be significantly impacted. Shelters may be full or may even stop intakes altogether. Survivors may also fear entering shelter because of being in close quarters with groups of people.
Travel restrictions may impact a survivor’s escape or safety plan – it may not be safe for them to use public transportation or to fly. (Source: Bradley Angle, COVID-19 & Survivor Safety)
NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
@ndvh
CALL 1-800-799-7233
TTY: 1-800-787-3224
CHAT: thehotline.org
SASS CRISIS SERVICES CENTER | EUGENE, OR
Crisis hotline support 24/7 is still available at 541-484-9791 (office) 541-343-7277. (crisis) / 844-404-7700. Drop-In, Support Groups, In-Person Counseling Suspended. Staff will connect with clients individually to arrange phone conferences for all meetings that are currently scheduled or will make other individual arrangements as needed.
WOMENSPACE | EUGENE, OR
24-hour crisis and support line at 541-485-6513 or toll-free 1-800-281-2800. Advocates who speak both Spanish and English provide access to services, safety planning, emergency services, mobile advocacy, telecommunication options, referrals and resources. All in-person meetings and services are suspended through March 31st, 2020. Email info@womenspaceinc.org.
Tori Wilder is a volunteer trainer with Warrior Sisters in Eugene, OR.