Conference to aid survivors of abuse
Tools and knowledge for survivors of abuse will be offered at a Women’s Empowerment Conference presented by The Healing Journey.
The conference will be taking place on Friday, May 19 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Yuma Main Library, 2951 S. 21st Drive.
There will be keynote speakers, advocates, counselors and survivors of abuse as well as informational booths for non-profit and for profit businesses. Ultimately, the goal of the conference is to empower women.
“The key point will be knowledge, they will learn what the speakers have to offer,” said Estrella Fitch, CEO and founder of The Healing Journey in Yuma. “There will be non-profit agencies and for-profit agencies there to provide resources.”
Fitch noted that there will also be a massage chair provided by the Healing Touch Day Spa: Skin Care and Bodyworks at the conference. A free continental breakfast and a free lunch will be provided.
The Healing Journey is a local organization that aims to spread awareness about the effects of domestic violence and child abuse as well as assist victims through peer support and education.
According to Fitch, this year marks the fourth year for the event, titled Women’s Empowerment Conference, “Moving Beyond Abuse.”
“We are hoping to reach about 100 women such as social workers, advocates, counselors and most important women who have suffered trauma from abuse maybe as children or as (adults),” Fitch said.
The CEO of the Healing Journey said the conference got its start when she met with Maria Chavoya, Community Specialist from Cenpatico Integrated Health Care, and spoke about providing women the tools they would need to overcome trauma.
“We also felt it was important for those who work in that field to understand them better,” Fitch explained. “The conference offers true life stories of those who have survived and overcome their past. This is so important in order to move forward, leaving behind the abuse.”
There will be two keynote speakers at the event, Celeste Plumlee and Ellen Beckett.
Plumlee is a survivor of domestic violence and is currently the board chair of the Arizona Coalition to End Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse.
Beckett is a survivor of child sexual abuse and is presently the entertainment assistant stage manager for Disneyland Parks Productions.
The conference is free and open to the public. Fitch said that she feels it is important to offer a conference at no cost to attendees because she wanted to give back to the women who have survived abuse.
“I see firsthand how they come to our agency many times feeling everything was their fault,” Fitch said. “When they leave us, the goal is to have them leave knowing they played no part in the abuse, they didn’t ask to be a victim of a crime. They are true survivors.”
“No one should live in a home or grow up in a home where there is violence, but it happens,” Fitch added. “No child should grow and wonder why something horrible happened to them. This is why we want to make sure our women know they are not alone on this journey. Some attend because their children have been hurt, or they work with women who have been abused or they themselves have carried a secret all their lives and the goal is to let them know they are not alone and their voice is heard.”
The conference is funded through Cenpatico Integrated Health Care, Blake Doten Allstate Insurance Agency and the Sara Powell Law Office.