Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilie Mitchell.
Emilie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Emilie Mitchell and I am the current Education Coordinator at the Victim Service Center of Central Florida (VSC), the local Rape Crisis Center for Orange, Seminole, and Osceola Counties. My job is to go out into the community and normalize conversations around Sexual Violence, Consent, Healthy Relationships, Bystander Intervention, Bullying, and more in an effort to end violence in our communities and beyond. Violence Prevention Education, particularly sexual violence prevention, became a passion of mine while I was getting my Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). At UIUC, I became a peer educator for the First Year Campus Acquaintance Rape Education (or FYCARE) program where I co-facilitated 2-hour classes on how to support survivors of rape. But I didn’t know how I could continue pursuing my passion once I graduated, so I took the first salary job I could – as an IT Recruiter.
I loved the people I worked with and learned a lot there, but I still had this pull towards… something else. I decided to make a career move and a literal move. I interviewed and was selected to become an English Teacher in Japan through the JET Programme. There I spent a year educating 5th-9th grade Japanese students in a small town called Nagasu known for breeding Goldfish. I loved every second and was happy to be back in Education. When I returned to the states I decided to move, again, to Orlando. I thought long and hard about how I wanted to make a living, thinking I may go back to school. I channeled my passion and googled the Rape Crisis Center in Orlando, the VSC. The list of the services the VSC provides to survivors for free amazed me. I became a volunteer and enjoyed going to huge outreach events such as Orlando Pride to chat about our services and represent the VSC. Volunteering felt great, but my dream was to do this work for a living.
That’s why I really thought I was dreaming when the VSC Education Coordinator called me and asked if I wanted her job. I distinctly remember trying very hard to resist the urge to jump up and down. I interviewed and totally thought I canned it, but lo and behold. I was offered the position. I would finally be doing a job that I not only loved but would make a positive impact on the world. However, that doesn’t mean it didn’t come with stress. I began my job at the VSC in February of 2020. That’s right, the month before COVID shut the country, and the world, down. Pre-COVID, all of our educational services were entirely in-person. The Educator would drive all around the three counties to present on Bullying, Sexual Assault, Healthy Relationships, etc. Overnight all of those opportunities would not be possible. I had to find a way to continue reaching people. So I decided to start something entirely from scratch – the VSC Podcast. The VSC Podcast hosts professionals that serve survivors and victims of trauma or those who have experienced violence and have conversations about social issues.
We have had episodes on topics such as Transgenerational Trauma, Eating Disorders, Victims Rights, Mindfulness, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Childhood Sexual Abuse, and more. We even had an episode entirely in Spanish and recently won a micro-grant from the Central Florida Foundation to create a Black History Month mini-series during February, which included episodes on Anti-Racism and Therapy, Racial Trauma, Implicit Bias, and Mental Health within Black Communities. With episodes airing weekly, we will be airing our 52nd episode this Wednesday. And it wasn’t just a way to educate Central Floridians. This little idea I had reached people in 26 different states across the US and 23 different countries. People are even beginning to reach out just to share how much they enjoyed certain episodes, and some are even asking to be on – instead of me inviting people, some are requesting to be on themselves! I am beyond amazed. It’s been incredible getting to know VSC’s partners in the Central FL community and beyond. We have had guests on from Valencia College, UCF, Rollins College, Peer Support Space, FCASV, Zebra Coalition, the Children’s Advocacy Center, VIBS, The Mental Health Association of Central Florida, Harbor House, Planned Parenthood, The State Attorney’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The list goes on and on. I am incredibly grateful and humbled by all of the work these amazing professionals do to help victims and survivors in our community heal. I hope those that tune into our Podcast feel a sense of hope knowing the amazing resources and services we have here in Orlando and beyond. I love what I do.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Struggles included adapting to COVID to be honest. As the new educator, I had to start reforming relationships with partners in the community. This already would have been a difficult road to build rapport and such. However, with COVID, this made it even more so. It’s hard to build trust through a zoom call! Also, This is a grant-funded position. With that, I have certain deliverables to meet, including the amount of trainings I give, etc. COVID made in-person trainings disappear. Quickly I had to adjust to hosting virtual trainings and also created the Podcast to continue educating the community.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the Education Coordinator at the Victim Service Center of Central Florida (VSC), the local Rape Crisis Center for Orange, Seminole, and Osceola Counties. My job is to go out into the community and provide free education on topics such as Sexual Assault, Healthy Relationships, Bystander Intervention, Sexual Harassment, and more in an effort to prevent violence in the community. With COVID, I host virtual training and panels as well as Facebook Lives and engage via Social Media. I am most known for creating the VSC Podcast, which is currently on its 52nd episode and is available on our Youtube channel (@VSCFlorida) and seven other Podcasting Platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. COVID has been tough on a lot of people for reasons I am sure people are tired of hearing about. I don’t know how I found myself to be innovative and adaptable during this time. I am so grateful to everyone who have not only volunteered their time to be on the Podcast but took a chance on a young 27-year-old with no radio background to record and edit their voice, promising to make it sound good haha.
What’s next?
As I look ahead towards the future, I look forward to continuing to develop as a violence prevention educator. I have learned so much about creating spaces for survivors to share their stories and experiences. I have heard from a multitude of perspectives and have grown personally and professionally just within a year of doing this work. I have also learned out to create “brave” spaces for people to talk about serious topics and how to have a conversation instead of a boxing match. As for big changes, I don’t have any huge ones on the horizon however, I do hope to one day go back to school and get my Masters in Arts or Social Work to ultimately become a counselor or therapist.
Contact Info:
- Email: emilie.mitchell@victimservicecenter.org
- Website: victimservicecenter.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vscflorida/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vscflorida
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vscflorida
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuffueEwgTHt44lOG-yQiwA
- Other: https://anchor.fm/vsc-podcast
