A Journey of a Thousand Miles Starts with One Step

We are a University of Maryland Alternative Winter break trip travelling to Knoxville, TN to learn more about the issue of Domestic Violence.  The participants travelling to Knoxville are a diverse group of people with varying ideas and points of views on life.  This trip will hopefully give them the chance to broaden their thoughts on the area of domestic violence and be more informed individuals on the subject.  The trip will be a catalyst for these participants to become even more involved in the fight against Domestic Violence in their respective communities.  The leaders will aim to inspire their social power which is the political activity and activism of people in civil society outside institutionalized politics.  Social Power is a means of countering the conservative tendencies inherent in all democratic systems.  The participants will be armed with knowledge and experience to enable them to provoke and demand from our political figures to do more in the fight against domestic violence.  We are embarking on this journey to become more aware of the power of collective action.  Collective political action is required to modify or transform structures and this can best be done by agents who are offered the greatest opportunity to act, in localized settings. Our participants have the opportunity to use their energies to engage in productive contact  and collaborate with local organizations who aim to end domestic violence. This blog will depict the journey of self realization and possible epiphanies. We hope you enjoy the thoughts conveyed by these hopeful and enthusiastic students. 
 

-Michael Christian, Co-trip Leader of Knoxville AWB