Aðalstræti 14 hosts the operations of Aflið, Bjarmahlíð and Kvennaathvarfið. On March 21st, a professional development day was held where the organizations met to improve collaboration, strengthen professional knowledge and increase job satisfaction within the building. It is important to hold such days to get the opportunity to discuss innovations, strengthen relationships between employees and develop policies or new methods in work.
The day was held in Strandgata and we would like to thank Guðrún Kristín Blöndal especially for the space and her help with organization.
We had a great presentation from Heimilisfriður where psychologist Þórunn Eymundardóttir and psychologist Henríetta Ósk Gunnarsdóttir met with us via video conference to introduce us to the organization’s activities. We also had Miriam Petra Ómarsdóttir Awad, an educator on prejudice and inclusion, introduce us to prejudice in Icelandic society and cultural sensitivity.
Heimilisfriður is a treatment and knowledge center on intimate partner violence for individuals who abuse their partners. The organization employs 5 psychologists and 1 family therapist and is in professional collaboration with ATV in Oslo, Norway.
Þórunn introduced us to the organization and its activities. The treatment process and how it is organized were discussed, and the methodology of Heimilisfriður, which is then for perpetrators, was also reviewed. She also spoke about the considerable differences in the consequences of violence by gender. It was useful to gain insight into experiences and challenges from a different perspective. It highlights the importance of approaching the issue from diverse perspectives and ensuring that support for all victims is tailored to different needs. Þórunn reviewed how we can utilize Heimilisfriður’s services for our clients and refer them to them when appropriate.
At the end, there was a discussion where we had the opportunity to ask questions that Þórunn answered, and as a result, good and relevant conversations developed.
Miriam Petra Ómarsdóttir Awad, taught us about prejudice in Icelandic society. Miriam said that prejudice in Iceland is diverse and that it often involves statements about people’s nature or negative attitudes based on generalizations. Miriam discussed racism and mentioned the importance of the fact that the solution is not to stop talking about racism, that it rather causes individuals who are subjected to prejudice to never be able to discuss their experiences.
Cultural prejudice is something that people generalize about the nature of people based on tangible things such as culture, religion, language, origin or nationality and it is often used in current affairs, news reporting, ethnic discussions and the impact on conflicts. Miriam gave some examples that were interesting to see. In this way, individuals are colored by the manifestations that we see from certain places in the world. Miriam mentioned that prejudice in Iceland is often presented in a joking manner and there is often a denial that it exists in this country and that positive prejudice is often used, when generalizations are made in a positive way about a certain group.
Miriam’s lecture shed light on the factors that need to be considered when providing services to individuals who are often subject to prejudice and micro-injuries due to, for example, appearance or other factors. She then continued that cultural sensitivity involves a lot of self-education and that it is important to familiarize yourself with and recognize that prejudice can affect how people seek help. There was a great and good discussion after the lecture and there were many things that Miriam pointed out to counselors and employees that could be reasons why it is more difficult for individuals of foreign origin to seek help. Now it is our role to use this knowledge to increase access to services for people of foreign origin.
We would like to thank Miriam Petra for joining us at the Aðalstræti 14 work day.
The day was a great success and we would like to thank Kvennaathvarfið, Bjarmahlíð, Þórunn, Henríetta and Miriam for the day and the gathering.
