Turning Moments in Movements: The Future of JTC
Several years ago, I experienced one of my greatest joys and honors; I officiated the wedding ceremony for two dear friends. When I introduced myself to the families and friends who had gathered to witness their union, I acknowledged that if you knew what I did for work, I probably seemed like an odd choice. I had spent my career working for rape crisis centers and domestic violence organizations, answering hotlines, running support groups, providing on-call support for sexual assault forensic exams, facilitating trainings and workshops to first responders, clinicians, and other professionals.
The truth is, working with trauma survivors taught me a lot about love, healing, and transformation. These lessons extend beyond my professional life—they have informed and changed how I interact with and support the people I love. I have learned and shared in that ceremony that what we all need in our most difficult and joyous moments is to have someone in our lives who makes us feel seen, heard, and believed. Our relationships- personal and professional- can all be transformative if they can do just that.
When I founded JTC, I was building on more than two decades of working in the gender-based violence movement. I structured our offerings to focus on the role that each of us can play to address and prevent sexual and domestic violence. Our work has expanded and evolved in the (almost) two years since our founding. While we have been incredibly fortunate to partner with incredible domestic and sexual violence organizations and bring trainings on these topics to schools, colleges, and businesses, we have also been able to partner with social change organizations and institutions of higher education to foster trauma-informed learning and working environments. For organizations, schools, and businesses that are working to create positive change, there have been a lot of challenges and adversity in the last several months. The impact of what is happening nationally and internationally ripples through our communities, organizations, schools, and each of us individually. This impact can feel overwhelming. It can make it tempting to numb out, to self-isolate, and to silo our work internally and externally. But it is in this moment that we need each other the most. As we face wave after wave of crisis, we need, more than ever, to feel seen, heard, and believed.
JTC is here to do just that.
The people and institutions seeking power over us want us to feel isolated and overwhelmed. Many of us, individuals and organizations, have been in a constant state of hypervigilance. When we are stuck in survival brain- individually and organizationally- we can begin to believe it’s all on us, that if we pause or make a mistake, we will be responsible for the catastrophic consequences. The incredible Tricia Hersey writes, “Loving ourselves and each other deepens our disruption of the dominant systems. They want us unwell, fearful, exhausted, and without deep self-love because you are easier to manipulate when you are distracted by what is not real or true.”
Choosing to start JTC was an act of self-love, and every partnership and engagement we’ve had has felt like an expression and extension of love. Being trauma-informed sometimes gets described as “Meeting someone where they’re at.” To that end, we’ve been working to ensure that our offerings are accessible to everyone and that every interaction and engagement embodies what we are working for: moments of transformation that can become stronger and more sustainable movements.
If you work in an environment with low morale and high turnover, JTC is here to partner with your organization, learn what factors are threatening your sustainability, and provide a road map for addressing the challenges, leveraging your strengths, and achieving sustainable results. If your team is doing well overall but is experiencing exhaustion and is at risk of burnout, JTC can facilitate retreat sessions and workshops that offer tangible strategies and leave your employees feeling validated and connected to themselves and each other.
We know that many organizations face budget challenges and crises that make hiring difficult, if not impossible, while still expected to achieve the same results. JTC offers short- and long-term contracts that can help your organization meet its deliverables, increase diverse funding sources, and establish a strong foundation for hiring when it becomes feasible again.
If you are looking for professional development for yourself or emerging leaders on your team, our online course will provide a foundation for trauma-informed leadership and supervision. This can be a great addition for our partners who want to provide the trainings we offer continuously for new employees.
The powers that be may want us to struggle, fracture, and feel defeated. We are here to remind you of your humanity, your capacity for transformation, your connectedness, and your power. When surviving sometimes feels impossible, JTC is here to walk through the fire with you and find ways for our organizations and movements to grow stronger, more connected, and able to foster long-term and meaningful change.
