Fernando A.

Picasso
Jackie Farnsworth
HLTH 1110 Section 5
November 6, 2014
Personal Reflection Final Draft
Volunteer Work at the YWCA
I was presented with the opportunity to work with the YWCA as a temporary volunteer. I helped
spread bark in the outside gardens, stuff envelopes to promote YWCA fundraisers and a holiday clothes
drive, clean out the toy closet by moving cartful of toys to another building, and plant flags that
represented victims of domestic abuse that utilized shelters in the Salt Lake Valley. All of these simple
tasks helped me realize just how much work truly goes into helping this group of oppressed individuals.
By completing these meaningful tasks and being a volunteer at the YWCA, I was presented with
challenges that I didnt expect to face, rewards that will benefit people that are close to me, and had the
ability to bring attention to the community just how close to home domestic violence really is. In overall,
it helped me become a better ally for women.
The most challenging part about my service for this project was actually finding a place that
would allow four males to do some volunteer hours. I will not lie, I did not listen to my instructors
advice about looking up agencies as soon as possible. I emailed the YWCA, Utah Coalition against
Sexual Assault, and the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition a week after the assignment was given to us. It
was a very long two weeks of no responses until I received a call back from the YWCA that they would
be willing to help us by providing some volunteer opportunities. Regarding the other two agencies I
contacted, I still havent heard back from then; not even an email to say We appreciate your interest in
being a volunteer, but at this time we arent in need of any assistance. It was almost discouraging for me
that I never heard back from the other two agencies. I couldnt help but ask myself if they never
responded back because the volunteer coordinator was occupied or if they were hesitant about having

guys working around victims of domestic abuse, sexually violated, or any other situation that victimized
these women. I do understand that these establishments provide a sense of security for these women who
are going through hard times and they are very picky about who they allow onto the facilities, but I
wouldnt have minded a quick email saying Thanks, but no thanks. May I should just get over myself
and focus on what I did learn from volunteering at the YWCA.
The rewarding part about being a volunteer at the YWCA was the opportunity to find resources
that help women that are in need of legal aid, temporary shelter, and counseling for victims of abuse. The
YWCA Family Justice Center was a great resource that I was able to recommend to my Tia (Aunt) Challo
who has gone through some difficult times in her life. When I provided the Family Justice Centers
contact information to my Tia, she right away mentioned that she had a few friends that could also benefit
from this resource. So just being able to spread the word that there is help for women is a rewarding idea
for me.
One of the service projects that I helped with was planting small while flags at the Millcreek
Library to celebrate A Week without Violence. Each flag represented a Utah woman who experience
domestic abuse and utilized the services of woman shelters. While planting the flags, many individuals
who were passing the library did ask what the flags represented. Matt, the three YWCA staff women, and
myself got a variety of responses from these onlookers. Mostly all of the women that asked supported
what we were doing while some men responded differently. One gentlemen that was pulling out of the
parking lot stopped next to me and one of the YWCA staff members and said that if his wife kept up her
attitude she will be one of these flags next year then drove off. It was a response that, I think, none of us
were expecting to hear; total moment of shock for me. When we finished planting all 2,800 flags in about
three and a half hours and I earned a blister the size of a nickel on my thumb, it was overwhelming to see
just how so many women were in need of a shelters assistance. There were two big white signs that let the
public know what each flag represented and how many flags were planted. Fox 13 News even did a short

story on what we were doing and what types of help was out there for victims. So I got my five seconds
of fame when they showed me on my knees jamming the flags into the frozen (almost rock hard) ground.
Before this service project, I didnt know of any sort of aid for women. I didnt even realize that
domestic abuse and negative prejudice towards women affected so many individuals in the valley.
Growing up, I thought I did support women and their rights to be equal to men. But I only saw piece of
the whole pie. I only saw independent women who were capable of speaking for themselves and stand
their grounds when it came to their ideas and thoughts. I never really considered, or thought about, those
women who fell victim to abuse or were silenced because of their sex. After completing the hours for this
project, I felt almost guilty for having so many privileges that came from being born male. I shouldnt be
feeling guilty though. I should be speaking up for those that arent capable to. Yen, the volunteer
coordinator at the YWCA, helped me realize that many people come and go when it comes to volunteer
work. She doesnt want them to just come volunteer because its required for an assignment. Yen wants
people to volunteer and get something out of it to teach others whether it is about domestic abuse or being
aware of socially given privileges.
In overall, the project allowed me to see where I stood in being an Ally for Women. It allowed
me to be more open minded when it comes to standing up for women. I now can provide information to
help any woman in any sort of stressful situation. I am proud of what I have accomplished and thankful
for this opportunity.