On Nov. 5-6, Reflections of Inspiration (ROI), a Western North Carolina nonprofit supporting community groups through educational programming, held its fourth annual Harrah’s Cherokee Casino-based Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness Event for crisis responders and shelter staff, bringing Indigenous and local voices to the forefront of gender violence awareness, trauma-informed care, and relational reflection.
Debbie Bush, training and technical assistance coordinator at the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, led the second day’s final presentation, which tackled a pressing and necessary theme among service providers in this field: burnout and workplace dynamics. She started with a game of bear-mosquito-salmon — a take on rock-paper-scissors — and invited participants to choose a partner. What seemed like a silly game at first became a moment of levity amid two days of difficult, uncomfortable, and perhaps even triggering conversations.