Hurt, Pain and Peach Cobbler

Hurt, Pain, and Peach Cobbler. Alumnus Steven Fields stumbled upon this idea one day in 2008 while having a conversation with a close friend in the social work department about depression, anxiety and suicide. Wondering if other students on campus suffered from those same thoughts, they began brainstorming about starting a support group. After his friend moved away, Steven's plans had been put on hold until one day, as a resident assistant; he needed a program for his floor. And so, "Hurt, Pain, and Peach Cobbler" was formed.

"I choose hurt and pain because I think those are two things that us humans have in common," Fields said. "We all experience hurt and we all experience pain. Then I wanted something good and when I think about good and what makes me smile is about Peach Cobbler. So I just put it all together."

At Field's first "Hurt, Pain, and Peach Cobbler" event in April of 2009, he expected the turn out to have a low attendance rate of two or three people but there ended up being 60 people in attendance. The following week, he was asked to hold his program again, this time on another RA's floor, and the attendance was 62.

"I felt that the need was validated with the initial large turnout and then with them calling me the next week to do it," Fields said.

After just those two programs Fields knew that he found his calling.

"Hurt, Pain, and Peach Cobbler" is an open forum event. Students are given a pen and paper upon arrival and are asked to place any questions they may have, on any subject, onto that paper. They are then asked to tear their questions off of the paper and fold it in half before placing it into a container.

"This process is to help keep the students questions anonymous and also to make them feel comfortable in asking any questions they may have," said Fields.

"One of the major ideas I have taken from HP&PC, which I also try and teach to others, is self-love," Southeast senior Courtney Jordan said. "At the first event, self-love was one of the first things we talked about, including different ways to love oneself and how important loving ourselves is in order to love others, no matter the relationship -- friends, family, or significant others."

Fields has started another rendition of "Hurt, Pain, and Peace Cobbler" in St. Louis called, "The Deep End." In St. Louis, Fields put the word out on Facebook about "The Deep End." About ten people attended his first event in St. Louis. It was held on UMSL's campus in August 2010.

"There was a similar audience with that of HP&PC -- African-American young adults, both female and male of different sexual orientations," said Fields. "HP&PC and The Deep End is not my full-time job. As of November 21, I am the new Community Outreach Representative II at Washington University School of Medicine. That's my "University" position. My organizational position is HIV/AIDS Prevention Specialist at Project ARK/The Spot, where I will be able to facilitate groups similar to HP&PC and "The Deep End."

He said the name, "The Deep End," came from a heart break he experienced during a relationship that lead to him writing a poem about it which he titled, "The Deep End."

"I think of water as the physical symbol of love," said Fields.

"I love to swim but I prefer to stay in the shallow end versus the deep end. In the deep end I feel as I don't have as much control as I do in the shallow end so that's why I stay in the shallow end, and that is exactly what I did in that relationship. I stayed in the shallow end. In the end it was painful but I got something good out of it. I received the name."

Before graduating Southeast on May 15, 2010, Fields allowed the students who attended his last "Hurt, Pain, and Peach Cobbler" event to vote on the title for the St. Louis rendition he planned on beginning.

"The Deep End is the same type of program as 'Hurt, Pain, and Peach Cobbler' with the same concept just a different name," Fields said.

"The Deep End" is held monthly on every third Saturday and Fields is working on securing a consistent location.

"I plan on having multiple renditions of 'Hurt, Pain, and Peach Cobbler' set up in different places, with different names, and different desserts all over America," Fields said. "Eventually they will all be in one category that I've decided to name, 'Under the Umbrella."

Fields has not yet formed "Under the Umbrella" into a nonprofit organization; however he said that, "It is a priority of mine for the near future."

Although there will be different deserts in each section of "Under the Umbrella," Fields said that, "The peach cobbler will always be at Southeast Missouri State University."