REXBURG— The Family Crisis Center in Rexburg supports survivors of abuse and provides safety and hope that seems to disappear in a case of abuse.
In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Chloe Aponte and Shantel Segree, representatives of The Family Crisis Center, said just last year, the FCC had over 600 survivors pass through their programs. One in every six of those people were female BYU-Idaho students between the ages of 18 and 24.
“Why we focus and want to raise awareness on the BYU-Idaho campus is just because obviously that's a very high prevalence,” Aponte said. “It's within our community and so we're kind of that resource close by and we hope to prevent as much abuse as possible. But our resources are also available when things do happen. Where can someone go for healing and support and services, but also someone to talk to about what's happened to them that isn't shrouded in guilt and shame.”
Segree, the intern at the FCC and a student at BYU-Idaho, said she will take what she has learned working with abuse and trauma cases to provide better professional help in her home country of Jamaica.
“I would like to go back home and to help those who are experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, all those forms of abuses, help them to gain access to resources that can better help them in order to get out of abuse or on their journey towards healing,” Segree said. “So that is my goal basically, is just to gather all that I've learned here and to go back and to help build my community.”
Aponte said the FCC’s overarching mission is to live in a world free of abuse. Although a lofty goal, she believes every individual can make a big difference, which is why she loves connecting with students.
“I think when there's so much diversity, we celebrate that and we want people to be able to feel like their voice in making change does matter,” Aponte said.
For more information regarding the Family Crisis Center, head to its website at www.familycrisiscenter.info.