BEYOND THE SILENCE
A very warm and safe welcome to WE ARE SURVIVORS.
Our mission at We Are Suvivors is to break the silence of the sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation of boys and men and support them and their loved ones to engage in positive healing, free from the impact of abuse.
Breaking the silence is at the heart of everything we do. You’ll see us use those words a lot. It’s why we’ve decided to launch this newsletter, ‘Beyond The Silence’. Each quarter we’ll
be sharing the impact of our work, letting you know how you can support us, and crucially, celebrating the achievements of the men and boys we support. Everyone at We Are Survivors - staff, volunteers, and service users - have a great deal to be proud of.
We’d love to know what you think of this first edition, and what you’d like to see us cover in future. All of our contact details are on the back page.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
How you can support us
FUNDRAISING Page 2
It costs around £30,000 per week to run We Are Survivors and ensure we are here, whenever survivors are ready, to support them in their healing. Find out how you can support our work.
Part of the community
COMMUNITY Page 7
From Drop In spaces and ‘The Safe Room’ peer support meetings, to amazing creative writing and art workshops, We Are Survivors offers vital survivorled actitivies every single week.
Income
Generation and Fundraising Consultant
Alex Mayer, our Income Generation & Fundraising Consultant has some brilliant ideas for anyone to get involved in raising funds and positively impacting the lives of male sexual violence survivors.
Everyone can be a fundraiser for We Are Survivors. Somehow, fundraising still conjures up images of sponsored runs, bake sales and chucking a few quid in a bucket (all of which are brilliant, and hugely appreciated!) but there are infinite ways of raising money - from tried and tested challenges to unique ventures. One of the most exciting parts of my role is speaking to people with brilliant fundraising ideas that somehow translate personal passions, hobbies and connections into extraordinary financial support for We Are Survivors. We have received donations from a charity club night, a stand-up comedy gig, a sponsored climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, the Manchester 10k and proceeds from the publication of a book to name a few. So whatever your idea, we cannot wait to hear about it, and support you every step of the way. And please don’t forget that there are many other ways to support We Are Survivors and help us #breakthesilence on male sexual abuse –perhaps you know a company looking for a Charity of the Year or you simply wish to make a personal donation. Whatever it is, we are so grateful that you are thinking of us and helping to change the lives of male survivors.
Please do get in touch via fundraising@wearesurvivors.org.uk and we will provide whatever advice and support we can.
SCAN HERE to make a donation
HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE
It costs approximately £30,000 per week to run We Are Survivors and ensure we are here, whenever survivors are ready, to support them in their healing.
Last year, We Are Survivors provided 3,418 therapy sessions, more than 200 community activities and 3482 ISVA activities supporting male survivors going through the criminal justice system. Research suggests that 1 in 6 men are survivors of sexual abuse - equivalent to 235,500 men across Greater Manchester.
But how might you be able to make a difference?
Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser or a first timer, joining the many vibrant efforts of those fundraising for charity can be uniquely rewarding on many levels. Every step you take, every effort you make, and every penny you raise contribute to transforming the lives of
men and boys who deserve to thrive! Did you know fundraising for ‘We Are Survivors’ isn’t just important; it’s also exhilarating, brings community together, and fuels transformative positivity and growth for male survivors and those who fundraise too? Well, it’s true and we’d like to tell you why taking a first step to getting involved, might just be far simpler than you imagine. Check out Alex’s advice on the left.
Please do get in touch via fundraising@wearesurvivors.org.uk and we will provide whatever advice and support we can.
COMING SOON!
We’ll be launching our fundraising pack very soon! Keep an eye on our website and socials.
ALEX MAYER
Actor, Aidan O’Callaghan Greater Manchester 10k - 2023
MATURING AND TRANSFORMING
Welcome to the first ever edition of Beyond the Silence, We Are Survivors brand new quarterly newsletter.
For those of you that have followed us for a few years, then you’ll know that in April 2023 we went through a transformation that took us from being Survivors Manchester to We Are Survivors.
The name change has been a long time coming and for many years people commented on how our name never reflected how far our reach is or what we do. So after many conversations with many different people, we hit on the simplest yet incredibly profound name… We Are Survivors, after all we ARE survivors! Our new name brought a re-energised organisation and team ready to take on the challenges of the incoming years. We reviewed our Mission, tided up our organisational values to be clearer and extracted a statement from a comment that
is now our new vision – a society where NO male survivor is left behind - and we do all of this at the time when we’re getting into our mid-late teens, our boy is nearly 16! Like every teenager, We Are Survivors hasn’t had the easiest of growing up but there is no doubt in my mind that this incredible organisation that I am so proud to be the current guardian of is maturing into a fine young man.
I hope over the next few years you will stick with us and see us grow even more. I am confident that you will see a whole range of new and exciting activities that male survivors in Greater Manchester and beyond can get involved with to make connections with others and drive their own healing journey.
Our therapy service will grow outwards, and we will begin to open up safe spaces in other Greater Manchester neighbourhoods; whilst our Independent Sexual Violence
Advisor service will continue to adapt to the changing landscape within the criminal justice system and ensure that everyone involved in it has their voice heard! And our OUT Spoken Prison service will continue to deliver our ground breaking offer to survivors in the secure estate. When we say NO male survivor left behind, we really mean it! But I want to make sure that we always hear your voice, and we do everything we can to help you hear the voices of male survivors.
So please do follow us on social media; send us your comments or criticisms; tell us what you want to see us do, especially if your needs as a male survivor or the loved one of a male survivor are not being met.
This has always been YOUR organisation and it needs to stay that way.
DUNCAN CRAIG OBE Chief Executive Officer & Founder
offences support sector, at a glance!
UPLIFTING SURVIVORS
For anyone of us out there engaged in professional practice on the ground, the last twelve months might be thought of as a year in which sexual abuses and genderbased violence have emerged into an intensely focussed national spotlight.
Some difficult discussions are a-foot and while everyday people who by way of their lived experiences, have been in a position to understand the impact of sexual violence, there are others still for whom a bigger picture has alluded their own understanding.
In an age where many hear the zap of a tweet bellow louder than the blare of a foghorn, few might argue we live in a political landscape absent of growing division. If increasingly regular exposure of our national institutions and the reported, potential systemic protections of abusive cultures within them are a litmus test of any kind, surely it is demonstrating an imperative need to listen and respond to survivors. After all, increasingly as a society, we understand the constant ask of those at risk to adapt themselves around the behaviours of those who perpetrate abuse is flawed thinking at its most basic level.
Outside of our personal lives and in our professional capacities, we have long
understood the abuse of power afforded by position and its direct effect on the experiences of sexual violence survivors. Greater Manchester has been supporting victims for many years, in fact, 2023 will mark the 45th anniversary of Greater Manchester Rape Crisis who are celebrating with the commission of several ‘vignette’, theatre performances at Contact Theatre that centre the stories of truly inspirational women. There are so many of us across our sector working to better the lives of survivors, I would be unable in truth to list us all here, however it is also a truth that all of us, working directly to support critically vulnerable people are truly inspirational in our own right!
The VCSE sector has not stood still. Collectively we responded with immense gratitude for a tireless ethic to improve victims lives as was evident throughout Dame Vera Baird’s office as Victim’s Commissioner. We’re delighted that Dame Vera is currently here in Manchester engaged in an independent review of women in custody for the Mayors office
Elsewhere in a fantastic leap forward, the sexual violence sector is geared to see community based witness suites rolled out within specific VCSE locations and away from police infrastructures which while
MICHAEL ROBERTS
GM RASSO Communications & Engagement Co-Ordinator
vital, have often been intimidating spaces for traumatised victims to occupy. We have been moving for change, and we know accountability is key. Not least within the legislative advance of the Victim’s Code, we are all striving to be more accountable than ever.
This question of accountability, as relating to sexual violence has set a ball rolling that we all steer on a course to address imbalance where it appears. Following an end-to-end rape review in 2021, operation Soteria Bluestone takes aim to overhaul how policing investigates rape and other sexual offences. Where inquiry might have centred firmly on victim credibility and in some cases even outright myth, we now call for a much greater investigative focus on those who offend. Simply put, any mentality that questions what a victim was wearing and other age-old misdirection’s ahead of ‘how was this consent’, will regularly fail victims.
Let us continue to succeed and uplift survivors everywhere.
The journey from trauma to triumph has never been a straight line, but for male survivors in Greater Manchester, there’s a unique place to embrace creativity and discover a remarkable path forward. We’ll be talking about our Community Development Team in lots of detail further along in ‘Beyond The Silence’, but we have to be honest, we just couldn’t wait to showcase the amazing work our lads have developed while accessing the support of WE ARE SURVIVORS.
Here’s what two fantastic creative writing coaches had to say:
“This will always be one of the best things we have ever done, We are so proud to support such beautiful writing.”
Cathy Crabb
ROPE LADDER FICTION
“Working on these audio dramas with We Are Survivors has been a privilege that has led to four emotive and well-written pieces of storytelling.”
Joseph Morris
ROPE LADDER FICTION
Sounds like a win to us!
HEALING THROUGH CREATIVITY
Through visual mediums, writing and more, men across Greater Manchester have been channelling their emotions, memories, and struggles into accomplished, expressive works reflective of their personal journeys.
We’re super proud to be involved in such remarkable healing and all within just one element of the comprehensive services on offer at the largest UK charity for male sexual violence survivors.
Did we just hear you on the radio?
Well, it’s entirely possible you will! Some time ago, service users at We Are Survivors joined forces with Reform Radio and Rope Ladder Fiction to gain expert guidance and build on the superb creative writing program already on offer to our service users. In no small part, due to the efforts of our
Community Development Co-Ordinator; Jeff who has extensively championed the therapeutic value of creativity, our service has connected men with qualified coaching from industry professionals in a survivor takeover of Reform Radio and the commission of several excellent plays for radio broadcast! The sessions these men attended with writers Cathy Crabb and Joseph Morris of Rope Ladder Fiction have springboarded those engaged in our creative writing workshops into real life writing commissions! The feedback has been sensational, and the dramatized plays, having now been developed have gone on to be fully sound engineered, radio productions narrated by the gifted and exceptional actor: Neil Bell. Why not follow our social media and be the first to hear these insightful plays go live? We’ll certainly be sharing links as soon our lads work is broadcast!
Male sexual assault survivors unleash artistic brilliance on the world!
IT'S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE!
THAT’S RIGHT ! At the heart of ‘We Are Survivors’ lies an exceptional commitment to men and boys, fostering thriving communities through our remarkable array of community development opportunities.
While men can expect the very best trauma informed therapy, support from our team of dedicated counsellors and crucial assistance from knowledgeable independent sexual violence advisors, they can also access an extensive range of opportunities to connect with peer support in safe community settings.
More than anyone, charities who uplift male survivors of rape, sexual abuse and exploitation, understand the unique barriers and the incredible pressures men and boys face to maintain silence about their experiences. The truth is that there is no shame in taking your time, but making that first step can feel like an
overwhelming challenge. We created ‘Step Into Support’, an initiative where men newly engaging with our service can meet a member of our friendly Community Development Team in or outside of our comfortable surroundings and be supported, oneon-one to explore the healing that’s possible with us… And there certainly is a lot on offer!
From Drop In spaces and ‘Safe Room’ peer support meetings, to amazing creative writing and art workshops facilitated by renowned arts practitioners and creatives, our service users can enjoy health walks, coffee and cake, trips to the RHS Bridgewater in Salford where wemanage a community vegetable plot as well as many, many activities in between. It’s clear that our community offer has been life changing, you need only ask the men who participate.
Anytime you are with a fellow survivor it's a very powerful experience. A survivor, for the longest time suffered on their own, their experiences they kept to themselves. When you share what you have been through, openly and honestly with no shame, it's very powerful.
GAYNA WILLIAMS SSVA & Advocacy Service Manager
So, what is community development really all about? We spoke to Gayna to discover how, from her own perspective as the Service Manager, the team help build communities.
Our community services offer the opportunity for survivors to connect with their peers in a safe space. Allowing some opportunity to experience new activities at or away from our centre, either in a group or 1-1 to build confidence and familiarity prior to engaging fully with the service. Our clients can often feel alone on their healing journey, engaging with our group and community support also means survivors are less isolated, able to connect with peers, gain confidence, share experiences and build relationships. It’s an absolute pleasure to see service users together, the support and understanding they offer one another is invaluable. Its heartwarming to know the welcome a new client gets when coming into a group for the 1st time. Without our community offer there would definitely be more survivors out there feeling alone.
Thank you, Gayna, we think you hit the nail on the head!
HOW DO I FIND YOU?
We Are Survivors offer support and healing to men affected by sexual violence across Greater Manchester. You can find us online at www.wearesurvivors.org.uk or call us on 0161 236 2182
In the event of an emergency and for anyone in immediate danger call 999.
For anyone affected by rape, sexual assault or sexual exploitation, a 24/7 support line is available in the UK on 0808 500 2222
#NoMaleSurvivorLeftBehind #BreakTheSilence
Healing happens in community, and we will be waiting to support you no matter how long it might take to make that first step.
MAIN OFFICE
Unit 9 Brewery Yard, Deva City Office Park, Trinity Way, Salford, M3 7BB
Office: 0161 236 2182
E-mail: support@wearesurvivors.org.uk
24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Helpline: 0808 500 2222
