On Episode 18 Part 1 we proudly and humbly present the final episode of the first year of The Pursuit of Health Podcast as we take a bold step into the emotionally packed subject of Domestic Violence. Our special guest is MacKenzie Bachar, the Advocacy & Education Director of Fearless!, Hudson Valley, New York. Ms. Bachar works on the frontlines with victims and survivors of Domestic Violence in all its forms and in collaboration with other community agencies such as the YWCA, police, and legal professionals. She also focuses a significant portion of her efforts on educating our youth about the dynamics of Domestic Violence in schools, homes and the community at large.
Ms. Bachar shares her own professional journey from academia into the world of education and direct client services for individuals and families affected by gender, sexual and domestic violence. She opens up to the deep cultural roots of these problems that must be addressed. She gives us a wonderful insight to the evolution of Fearless! and the supportive legislation that has promoted and recognized the incredibly valuable and important work that her team and other professionals around the country carry out against all odds. She affirms that Education and Advocacy go hand-in-hand in the fight against this horrible affliction in our communities.
Our guest provides us some much needed details about the scope and impact of Domestic Violence. She makes a very cogent argument that Domestic Violence negatively affects everyone in our society. She explains the emotional and psychological dynamics of Domestic Violence from the vantage point of both the perpetrator and the targeted person. Along the way she teaches us about the difference between Power used as a weapon to control someone and Empowerment as a means of prevention and survival.
Ms. Bachar finishes Part 1 of our discussion by encouraging us all to become “Active Bystanders” when confronted with problems as pervasive and dangerous as Domestic Violence. She encourages us all to learn as much as possible about our own biases in this regard and to create forums for open and honest discussions within our homes and communities - with a special emphasis on Youth Education. She advises us to Start Early and Talk Early.
Next time, in Part 2 of Episode 18, we finish our first year of the podcast by continuing our discussion with Ms. Bachar. She talks about the future of her team’s efforts to combat Domestic Violence and their renewed focus to approach this problem from the vantage point of a broad analysis of its ongoing cultural origins.
Our team at The Pursuit of Health Podcast can be reached through Facebook and Instagram @drfethkemd and soon on our website at drfethkemd.com.
References
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