Barrio parents

Not only the youth in the barrio are in need of support, but their parents as well. On Sunday the youth team did a workshop for parents. I wasn’t actually there, but from the evaluation yesterday, it sounded like a lot of important issues came out. A lot of the parents ended up crying when talking about their kids and the difficulties they have with them. Doña Sonia was there, and her son dying so recently was still an open wound. During the workshop she asked him for forgiveness for the hardships he had to live through. I think this got everyone crying. In the evaluation, the team was mentioning how normally adults are hesitant about unloading all of their burdens with others because they don’t trust the people they’re talking to, think they might judge them or spread rumors about them or are scared to start the process of healing. Many of the single mothers here live under enormous stress and pressure. Even though many don’t have jobs and are bored being in their houses all day, they don’t actually relax at home. They have to do all the housework, deal with fighting children and problems with husbands or partners. Also, Doña Esmeralda said that there’s not a woman in the neighorhood who hasn’t experienced violence. Maybe not just getting a black eye, but having a husband come home drunk and yelling at her and her kids, or having him spend all of his income at the bar. Oftentimes, not dealing with their own trauma results in them taking things out on their kids. I think that this guilt was coming to the surface during the workshop on Sunday.

The staff thought there were a lot of successes… That the participants began to ready themselves for talking about the problems they have with their kids and the burdens they have been swallowing their whole lives. They also developed solidarity among each other, supporting each other as they spoke about their problems and consoling each other as well. Participating in the evaluation also made me want to go to Social Work school again, to be able to learn more therapy skills to be able to bring back here.