Provincetown, April 2012

“Women to Women… Resources with an Empowerment Approach”

Independence House, Inc., WE CAN, and Helping Our Women(HOW) are joining together for a discussion event that will have representatives from all three organizations present resources and information on all of their agencies.    Participants are encouraged to join in a safe open forum focused on issues that arise in the day to day lives of women.

This event is FREE.  No registration is required.   Open to all members of the Cape Community.  Sponsored by and held at Seashore Point, 100 Alden Street, Provincetown on May 3rd  from 2pm-4pm.

For information  or questions, contact Irene Rabinowitz of Helping Our Women, irene@helpingourwomen.org or call 508-487-4357

Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

While students DO have a right to participate in the Day of Silence between classes and before and after school, they may NOT have the right to stay silent during instructional time if a teacher requests for them to speak. According to Lambda Legal, “Under the Constitution, public schools must respect students’ right to free speech. The right to speak includes the right not to speak, as well as the right to wear buttons or T-shirts expressing support for a cause.” However, this right to free speech doesn’t extend to classroom time.

In our own community on Cape Cod, Barnstable High School students are taking on The Day of Silence on Friday, April 13, because at the official time (April 20) of the national day of silence, Barnstable High School happens to be on Spring Break.

Students will wear signs indicating their support for the cause.  Teachers in the Barnstable High School system are aware of the initiative and are supportive of the student efforts regardless of the date.

Are students in your area initiating this important foundation for the future of the youth in your community?

Learn more:  :
http://www.dayofsilence.org/resources/

The 2012 theme: IT’S TIME … TO TALK ABOUT IT! CONNECT. RESPECT. PREVENT SEXUAL VIOLENCE.

April 3 is a Day of Action in this year’s theme so please get out there and Tweet about it- Facebook post about it- engage your community- and most importantly TALK ABOUT IT!

Check out an overview.

And don’t miss the event on April 25 for Independence House when the youth in our community stand up to not only talk about it but show us what they’re doing about it.

Here are some questions you can address if you suspect someone is affected by domestic abuse:

• Do you feel afraid of your partner at times?
• Does your partner yell at you or humiliate you?
• Does your partner constantly criticize you or put down your accomplishments?
• Do you avoid topics you know will anger your partner?
• Do you find yourself wondering if you are the one who is always wrong?
• Have you ever thought that you deserved to be hurt, punished, or mistreated?
• Is your partner constantly checking up on you?
• Does your partner force you to have sex?

Many victims make excuses for their bruises or might hide their physical injuries by not leaving their home; and might frequently call in sick to work or school.

A victim may also feel emotionally helpless and think they can’t do anything right for their partner or feels that they are always the one to blame for things that go wrong.

Abusers…. some are very smart to hide their own abusive behavior and others unwittingly displaying red flag warnings lit up like neon signs.   Here a a few:

• Have a unpredictable temper
• Threaten to hurt or kill you
• Destroy your belongings
• Blame you for their own bad behavior
• Keep you from socializing with friends or family
• Control your schedule and where you can go
• Act excessively jealous and possessive
• Threaten to commit suicide if you leave

If you or someone you know is in a domestic abuse situation, there is help!

Contact Independence House to take that first step to living a life free from violence.

Press Release

160 Bassett Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601
Phone: 508-771-6507
Fax: 508-778-0143
24/7 Hotline 800-439-6507

For Immediate Release   |  For information Contact:   Donna Giberti, Marketing Liaison

March 19, 2012    |      finassist1@indhouse.net

The Nicholas Xiarhos Respectful Youth Relationship Program launches with a special event in April and support from sponsors

RESERVE TICKETS NOW FOR THE CONNECT FOR RESPECT EVENT ON APRIL 25

Independence House is proud to announce the launch of a new youth-focused educational program promoting healthy relationships and violence prevention among high school students throughout Cape Cod. The program, named for Nicholas Xiarhos, son of Yarmouth Police Deputy Chief Steven Xiarhos, and whose life was lost while serving our country overseas in Afghanistan, will operate under the umbrella of the Education and Prevention Program of Independence House.

The Nicholas Xiarhos Respectful Youth Relationship Program is supported in part by a grant from the Verizon Foundation’s Domestic Violence Solutions Grant Program, the Nicholas Xiarhos Foundation, a grant from the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office and the generous contribution of Independence House Board member, Mary Brunette.

At a White House event, Joe Torre speaks about violence in his home during his childhood.

Independence House has a safe space for kids where they can talk about their experiences of witnessing domestic violence in their home.  Being a child witness to violence can be just as life altering as being a direct victim.  The Child Witness to Violence Program (CWV) at Independence House offers counseling sessions for children of all ages.  Please watch this video of Joe Torre, ex-pro baseball player and former manager of both the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers speak at the White House and describe how being a child witness to violence changed both his childhood and his adult life.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvghAzls-MY

It often appears in relationships with domestic violence. You might be restricted to what you can and cannot do with your own finances, or what you can and cannot buy.

Have you been required to share control of your personal bank account with another person?  Have you even lost all rights to use your own bank account at all at the hand of another who is listed in control of the account?  These are signs of Financial Abuse.

There are many other signs to watch for in regards to financial abuse.

• Using your social security number to obtain credit without your knowledge or permission
• Using your child’s social security number to obtain income tax credits or refunds without your knowledge or permission
• Depositing your paycheck into their account and denying you access to your own funds
• Not allowing you to see your own bank account records or write and sign your own checks
• Refusing to give you money for food, rent, medicine or clothing
• Depleting funds from joint accounts and your children’s accounts without your knowledge or permission
• Often spending money on themselves, but not allowing you to do the same

Financial Abuse is a way of controlling you!   If you have experienced being forbidden to work, or have been limited to the amount of hours you can work, that too is a form of Financial Abuse.   If you have been purposefully bruised or scarred so that you are too embarrassed to go to work, that is a form of Financial Abuse.  If you have been harassed on the job purposefully, or have had your employer or coworkers harassed so that you will be fired, that is a form of Financial Abuse.

Financial abuse shows its ugly face commonly to the elderly too, who are vulnerable and believe the person is helping them, when in fact they may have just had their power of attorney, pension or last will in testament fraudulently changed to name the abuser as heir, in some cases followed by complete deprivation of their own finances and sadly, even eviction from their own home.

There is help!

Contact Independence House if you are a victim of Financial Abuse.

Resources:
http://www.loveisrespect.org
http://www.preventelderabuse.org

Thanks to modern technology this story below has a closing:

Martin ‘David’ Pietz Charged With Killing Wife Six Years After Her Death

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/23/martin-pietz-charged_n_1375741.html?ref=crime&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-sb-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D146246

(Author Unknown)

Life is a theater  – invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is holy enough and healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be love d from a distance. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with  draining, negative, incompatible, not going anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships.

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to which ones lift and which ones lean?  Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?

When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don’t really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

The more you seek quality, – the more you seek things honorable – the more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the Front Row and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.

You cannot change the people around you…, but you can change the people you are around! Ask for wisdom and insight and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.

March 22nd kicks off the series with “Shop For Your Home Mortgage”, March 29th offers Investing for Income, April 5 is Establishing A Differentiated & Enduring Brand, and they are also launching an ongoing childrens program called Meet the Banker and Learn About Savings!

A Free Kindle Fire giveaway at the workshops. For more info and registration details, visit this link: https://www.thecooperativebankofcapecod.com/coopnews/the-cooperative-bank-of-cape-cod-launches-free-financial-seminar-series/