New York Asian Women's Center
Nicollette Lee, trip leader and a particiapant with Alternative Breaks for 4 years says:
“This year at Asian Women's Center, the team will be working on a wall mural in the children's playroom. The center prides itself for creating a comfortable environment for all of the women and children in the safe house--so, for the Center to give the team and I think opportunity is such both exciting and humbling. For 12 weeks before the Spring Break trip, the team has learned about defining domestic violence, how the cycle of violence may begin, and has even had a discussion with Ithaca's Advocacy Center to best prepare us for the week. Alternative Breaks has established a long-term relationship with Asian Women's Center, so the team is excited to continue on this relationship and to also promote service-learning on campus.”
Breanna Ross, trip participant, talks about her experinces:
"A team of seven, we had the opportunity to serve at Asian Women’s Center, a safe house for survivors of domestic violence in New York City. With an unrevealed location and a need for the utmost privacy, walking into the house on the first day was like entering a different world. Our site contact generously gave us a tour of the house, which consisted of residential bedrooms, common rooms, and more facilities that gave off a more homely vibe. Numerous bulletin boards were plastered on the wall, bearing flyers of all different Asian languages with information on a variety of topics. Interacting with the staff at the house was a highlight for many of the trip participants: though they were busy, they always welcomed us warmly and created a welcoming environment. It was in this house where we served for the week.
The safe house was not small, with many rooms to constantly maintain, and there were still areas that needed cleaning and renovation. We had the opportunity of painting a mural on the wall of the children’s playroom and cleaning their collection of books and toys. Over the course of a few days, we repainted a base an empty wall, added a mural completely with hot air balloons and clouds, and washed and reorganized all the books and toys the agency owned.
As we finished the mural, we invited the children who were currently residing in the house to add their own touch to the mural by stamping their handprint onto the wall. There were three children old enough to participate, and they excitedly pressed their palms onto the mural, leaving a small remembrance in that room forever.
One mother-child pair in particular left a lasting impression with the team. Even without a complete grasp of the English language, he was thrilled to find us working in the playroom, and engaged each member of the team to play with him. While he was putting his handprint onto the wall, his mother walked into the playroom and started to converse with the team. She not only expressed gratitude and amazement at the work we had completed over a short amount of time, she thanked us for letting her son put a small memory in the safe house, which was very important to her. Although New York limits housing for survivors to 180 days at a shelter, we realized that each day counted so much for the residents who engaged in such busy lives.
There were many memorable experiences, learning and growing as a team, painting and stirring and washing for hours on end. The time that we spent together allowed us to reflect with each other and collaborate to create a small difference in the lives of the people who were staying in the safe house. This was a time for all of us to grow as students and members of a society where the knowledge and understanding of social justice will always be needed."