It is with great pleasure and excitement that Sierra Community House introduces our newest team member to you all. Dom brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, with a background in social and racial justice. Their passion for education and equality aligns perfectly with our values here at Sierra Community House, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have them on our team.
What is your position at SCH and can you describe what you do in your role?
I am the Community Education & Prevention Coordinator. In the short term, I am supporting our violence prevention work in the North Tahoe area schools, for example, by co-facilitating age-appropriate, interactive presentations and 10-week empowerment groups with K-12 students on topics from bullying, anger management, cyber safety, and gender inclusion, to sexual harassment and assault prevention, intimate partner violence, consent and healthy relationships. In the long term, I will be helping to expand the reach of our violence prevention, awareness and intervention curriculum beyond area classrooms through additional programming, and especially collaborations with new and existing partners in the community.
What drew you to work at Sierra Community House?
More than anything I’ve been drawn by the opportunity to meet and connect with others who are similarly concerned about the unacceptably high levels of misogyny in our society. It’s inspiring to meet and build connections with people both within the organization and in the broader community who are committed to developing and sharing healthy, community-building tools and ideas for relating to each other and for preventing so much needless harm and trauma. Like many other professionals who experienced periods of isolation and/or burnout in recent years, I reflected about how I want to show up in the world and on the social impact that I hope to have with a sustainable work-life balance. And I feel lucky and humbled to have the opportunity to contribute to and build upon the organization’s rich history and foundation of violence prevention work in a values-driven workplace culture that strives to do just that. I learned about and appreciated our hunger relief services and support for victims of domestic violence by doing a Google search during the pandemic, but as a parent I felt comforted to learn that Sierra Community House had a positive presence in our local schools.
How long have you lived in Tahoe? What does “community” mean to you?
My wife and I bought a home in the area more than ten years ago when our first child was born, and had been visiting monthly for all that time before making the permanent move at the start of the global pandemic. To me, community means a welcoming spirit of care, support, and connection.
Tell us about what you like to do for fun! What is your favorite part about living in the mountains/near the lake?
Soccer has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember, but I’ve nonetheless been pleasantly surprised by how much joy I’ve experienced through contributing to the sport’s growth in our mountain community by coaching and refereeing youth games. I also watch loads of professional women’s soccer online because I find it thrilling and love to witness the ongoing progress in their struggle for the respect and investment they deserve. I also love to play guitar (poorly), to sing (a bit less poorly), and to write original music.
How do you prioritize self care?
Through calm breaths, listening to music in solitude, and doing my best to set and enforce healthy boundaries when fielding unhealthy requests and demands of my time!
What are you the most hopeful about when you think about the work Sierra Community House does in the community?
I’m most hopeful about our ability to educate far more of the public that there are services and programming at SCH for absolutely everyone in our community – no matter the age, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or national origin.
Anything else you would like to include? Personal anecdotes?
I’m the son of Haitian immigrants, and have two older sisters who instilled in me a love for modern Broadway musical soundtracks, though I’ve never once watched the Tony Awards. While California has been my home for almost three decades, I grew up in Baltimore, and therefore remain an unabashed ‘Maryland crab’ snob. It’s a lifelong dream come true to live amongst such beautiful mountains, even though I’m surely the world’s worst fisherman. A local karaoke spot with private rooms would likely find in me, repeat business and sincere gratitude.
Dominique’s unique talents and perspectives will undoubtedly enrich our collective journey as we continue to strive towards our goals. Stay tuned for more exciting updates and insights from Sierra Community House by subscribing to our email list.
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