The Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV) was formed in 1980 with the goal of helping to end the stigma around domestic violence while providing resources and support from trained professionals. In 2013, ACESDV updated its organizational outreach and program services to include sexual violence. 

On October 22, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Health and Human Services health educators Vurlene Notsinneh-Bowekaty and Melanie Nosie invited staff from the ACESDV to come to the Community for an interactive domestic/sexual violence workshop to help raise awareness and continue to increase support within the Community. Held in Two Waters building B, the class featured 20-plus individuals from various Community departments and programs, including Salt River Schools, Health and Human Services, the Salt River Fire Department, Finance, Information Technology, Internal Audit and more.  

Notsinneh-Bowekaty began the workshop by greeting the attendees and thanking the ACESDV staff for bringing their workshop to the Community. It was the first time the organization had visited the Community. Lauryn Fjell, domestic violence response coordinator, and Lizette Roeder, sexual assault coordinator, facilitated the presentation.

“In Her Shoes” is an interactive, participatory workshop to help attendees understand domestic violence by “experiencing” it. To begin the workshop, participants walked out into the building’s hallway as Roeder and Fjell instructed them to team up into pairs, with participants playing the roles of a “victim” and a “shadow.” Roeder then handed a character card to one individual in each team. Each card provided the pair with a situation and a choice the victim must make while the shadow remained silent. After finishing the workshop, the teams switched their victim/shadow roles. 

To further add to the authenticity of the interactive workshop, a fake baby was handed out to certain teams, but not all. “Read through the character card to get a feel for this real-life situation of being ‘in her shoes, ’” began Fjell. “You’ll arrive at a station, pick up a new character card, and then you will either be instructed on what to do next or you will be given a choice,” she explained. 

Each of the stations presented a real-life situation that domestic violence victims experience. After following the instructions from the character cards at the “Abuse Happens” station, participants had to place a bandage on themselves to show that they have been abused. Depending on how the cards read, some participants completed the workshop wearing several bandages. 

Later, at the “Homeless Shelter” station, a coin flip decided whether the victim and child were allowed a room for the night. If the coin showed tails, they were instructed to wait to the side for five minutes and then were given another opportunity to flip the coin. Participants were not let into the shelter until they flipped the coin to show heads. During the workshop, one participant and her “baby” had to flip the coin four times before she was allowed to get a room and advance to the next station. 

For certain teams, the workshop ended with them arriving at the “Funeral Home,” where the character card informed them that their workshop character had passed away. Others received character cards saying that their character survived their domestic violence situation by obtaining steady employment while receiving support from their family and loved ones. 

After the workshop ended, Roeder and Fjell opened a discussion. Many participants disclosed that they felt they were making the correct life choices for their character and fake baby, so they didn’t expect their character to die as a result of domestic violence. 

“These [character cards] are all based on real-life situations,” shared Roeder. “If we ever do work with someone experiencing domestic violence, we are but one step in their journey. The best thing we can do is to treat them kindly, listen and believe them. Later, however their story ends, they may not know your name or where you work, but they will remember your first response and how you made them feel. You all being here in this class is the first step.”