“Today, I come to you with a very personal story, my own, as a Spiral Journey facilitator. I have come to the Spiral Journey facilitator training as a mother of two who was in a (very) toxic marriage that was toxic for all parties. I was at a point in my life where:

– I did not have a job and it wasn’t possible for me to have one given my circumstances

– I didn’t have access to circles of support that I could fall back on – Access to finances was one of the main ways my actions and interactions were being controlled

– I was allowed very little and hence could see very little of the outside world

I applied for a scholarship and hoped for the best. I did my interview with Molly as I waited for my child to finish judo practice, wearing my infant, while talking to Molly on my phone. We agreed on a certain contribution and a few months into the program my circumstances changed (again) – it took a lot of commitment and belief in my own abilities, and a lot of encouragement from the facilitators, for me to make it through the program. And I did go through the program; I did my practicum with my now moving baby who was a few months older. It was the very beginning of the genocide on Gaza. We didn’t know the silence would last this long, but to see the world silent as people who look like me were being bombed—people whose names sound like mine and those of my kids and families, who spoke the same language-–this would take anyone into despair. I did what I could to bring the Work that Reconnects to my community.

Fast forward a few more months and here I am, writing this to you as a Spiral Journey Facilitator Development Program team member. And this would have not been possible had it not been for the scholarship that I had received – which, in itself, was made possible through the scholarship fund.

So if you’re a returning donor, thank you and if you’re a first time donor, I want to let you know that it goes a long way, and thank you.”