A Place to Belong

My name is Olivia Tomboli, and safety, to me, means being in environments where I can feel grounded, respected, and authentically myself. Recently, I’ve learned how safety is not the same for everyone as it can look different based on individual circumstances. My personal safety is often tied to places that feel peaceful and welcoming. Locations with these qualities allow me to think clearly and find a sense of belonging.

I grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo and immigrated to the United States as a refugee in 2013. Throughout my childhood, my family moved between different cities of the Greater Cincinnati Area. Once we settled into the West End, I lost the freedom to be myself because of the negative stereotypes people in my neighborhood had about Africans. During that time, I felt as if I had to be careful about how I acted and presented myself. I was often judged before people had the chance to know who I really was, and this forced me to prove that I was more than a stereotype.

Being at parks became one of the places where my insecurities faded. When I was surrounded by nature, I didn’t feel like I had to prove anything to anyone or meet their expectations–I could just be me. While outside, I have a sense of freedom that is hard to find in other spaces. This freedom allows me to do what I’d like, to go where I want, and to exist as myself. These experiences taught me how important it is to have safe spaces where people feel a sense of belonging. The feeling I find outdoors is what led me to join the WanderRoots Youth Fellowship, where I could help identify safe spaces for many different people.

Through WanderRoots, I have worked with others to help create a map of safe spaces across parts of the Greater Cincinnati Area. As the Fellowship continues, I have had conversations about what the definition of a “safe space” actually is. It is clear that people have many different ideas of what safety means to them. This project has shown me that safety is deeply personal and shaped by individual perspectives. What feels comforting to one person might not feel the same to another, which is why it is important to listen to different voices when identifying what a safe space is. Through the WanderRoots Youth Fellowship, I have gained a better understanding of how diverse and meaningful safety can be and how important it is to recognize these factors when building something meant for everyone.