National Volunteer Appreciation Week

April 6 – 13th is National Volunteer Appreciation Week. Alexandra House is lucky to have a force of dedicated, passionate volunteers ready to lend a hand and eager to serve others. Whether it’s heading out in the middle of the night to be a support at the hospital or dishing up dinner for families in … Continue reading →

Why the Women I Work with are my Heroes

By Maddie, Alexandra House Intern Everyday I go to work, I am surrounded by heroes. Or rather, heroines. When I walk in the door, I know I will encounter women stronger than Superman, more steadfast than Batman, more courageous than Captain America, and a whole lot more realistic than Wonder Woman. The women I work … Continue reading →

Tweeting for Change: Challenging Rape Culture

By Taryn Tessneer, Youth Advocate In response to the TIME article “It’s Time to End ‘Rape Culture’ Hysteria,” by the American Enterprise Institute’s Caroline Kitchens published in late March (http://time.com/30545/its-time-to-end-rape-culture-hysteria/), hundreds of people have posted under the hashtag #rapecultureiswhen (http://www.gurl.com/2014/03/26/rapecultureiswhen-tweets-about-what-rape-culture-is/) with examples of how normalizing rape, minimizing the impact of sexual violence and blaming the … Continue reading →

Volunteer Appreciation Week

 April 6th– 13th is National Volunteer Appreciation Week. Alexandra House is lucky to have a force of dedicated, passionate volunteers ready to lend a hand and eager to serve others. Whether it’s heading out in  the middle of the night to be a support at the hospital or dishing up dinner for families in the … Continue reading →

Thank You!

Our 11th Annual Hope Gala was a tremendous success! We raised over $100,000 – a feat we could not have accomplished without our generous supporters and a stellar planning committee comprised of staff, Board and dedicated volunteers. The evening was filled with fun, great auction items, delicious food and drink, and a moving testimonial from a … Continue reading →

TV Romance: The Good and Bad According to Teens

This week our students weighed in on relationships in the media. Shows from One Tree Hill to Pretty Little Liars to Love and Hip Hop, and even books like Twilight, tell of the drama of love and relationships. Teens let us in on what messages they are getting from the media and whether they are … Continue reading →

Youth Services – Student Art

Alexandra House Youth Services offers high school support groups during the school day for students who have experienced family, dating or sexual violence. These paintings were created by a Healthy Relationships group in Columbia Heights. Students were asked to paint concentric circles symbolizing their circles of support. The first circle represents themselves. The following concentric circles … Continue reading →

Letting Your Light Shine – Teens Healing From Abuse

While each individual’s path of healing is unique, this “healing flame” is a visual representation of factors that contribute to healing for youth who have experienced abuse. It has been adapted from Kate Cavett’s Healing Wheel. It starts with the inner flame and grows outward. Naming the Abuse. Identifying abusive experiences and naming them can be … Continue reading →

A Day in the Life of a Youth Advocate

A typical day in the life of an Alexandra House Youth Advocate? Well, to be honest, there isn’t one, but this should give you a sense of the challenges and joys of our work. We start early- 7:30am early. We arrive at the high school in enough time to review the list of 15-20 students … Continue reading →

Staying Safer Online

In today’s technologically advanced world, the use of the internet to stalk is a real and serious danger. Although you don’t have control over someone else’s actions, you can take some steps to increase your safety online. Here are some tips that you can use online: 1)      Be careful about the information you post on … Continue reading →