Aektha Bandokur is a graduate student, hoping to become an art therapist. She was born in India, but her family moved to the Middle East when she was three, then on to the U.S. when she was ten. It was an emotionally challenging childhood, but there was something that helped her adjust.
“Writing has been one of my long-term tools for coping I would say. Since I was young I have used writing to help me process things,” she says.
Two years ago, she heard about an interesting opportunity. A group in Charlottesville was looking for pieces to publish in a book – stories or poems about people facing sorrow and loss – finding resilience and the ability to recover from the challenges of life. To her surprise, one of her poems was chosen by the Women’s Initiative.
“It was my first time getting any of my poetry published in a book, so it felt very special. It was just a really significant moment for me," she recalls.
And she loved getting to read other people’s stories – to see how they were able to heal, and this year she’s submitted a new poem called Tethers.
“I am like a bird lost from its nest, looking for a new home or an old home or any home at all. Like the crows calling all day and all night. My soul will not give up. I will not leave here without a fight.”
The literary program called Challenge Into Change is just one of many services offered by The Women’s Initiative. The group also provides individual and group therapy – serving about four thousand people a year at no cost.
“We were founded by Bebe Heiner, a local therapist in town, who was able to – in a grass roots effort – bring other therapists together to lend their time free of charge," says Andrea Mayfield, co-director of the Women’s Initiative.
“We have a mission to provide mental healthcare to women and gender-expansive individuals in our community regardless of ability to pay.”
The organization has specialized programs for women of color, Spanish speakers, and members of the LGBTQ plus community, and co-director Shelly Wood says there are other sources of support.
“We also have volunteers who might facilitate a yoga offering, five-point needle acupuncture or writing workshops.”
With coaching from local authors, Mayfield adds, participants and other residents of Virginia can share their tales of trauma, their struggles and sorrows.
“Our stories explore deeply personal challenges, and sharing them takes immense amounts of courage and trust," Mayfield explains. "Women come to us with stories of navigating grief, of navigating loss, and we know that for many women gender-based violence is a trauma that is often suffered. Writing may not replace counseling, and it may not replace therapy, but it’s a beautiful complement to the clinical work.”
The book of essays and poems, called Stories of Hope and Healing, will be available for a donation this Wednesday at 6. That’s when a half dozen people will read from the stage of the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville and hear from author Kerry Docherty.
“She wrote the book Selfish which really explores her own journey as a woman who, like so many of us, navigating family responsibilities, work, career and so on," says Mayfield. "Then at the end of the day you find ‘Wait a minute. I have to take a moment for myself.”
The organizers of this free event – called Challenge Into Change – ask that people register in advance by going to https://www.thewomensinitiative.org/ and selecting Challenge into Change on the main menu.
