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Tonight we hosted our first Ted Talk awareness event, and it was a success! We watched a short and wonderful ted talk by survivor and advocate Sophie Andrews named "The Best Way to Talk is Often Just to Listen".
Sophie was sexually abused as a young child, and used a 24 hour helpline in the UK known as Samaratin's to become a survivor when she felt like a victim. As she grew stronger, she decided to pay it back by founding The Silver Line, a helpline that supports lonely and isolated older people. In this powerful, personal talk, she shares why the simple act of listening (instead of giving advice) is often the best way to help someone in need.
After watching the video, a group of us turned on our zoom microphones and talked about our reactions to the videos. We shared out personal feelings and experiences, how those experiences can differ for others, specifically other children, how we relate, and what it means to educate ourselves and others on how to be advocates for survivors always.
We will continue to offer Ted Talk watches and discussions about various aspects of our mission throughout the year, and will provide details on the events page!
We also plan to implement a version of the hotline in the future - one being a virtual survivor support group via zoom, and one being a anonymous texting group that anyone can partake in whenever they need.
While hotlines aren't for everyone, they can be a helpful resource for people and can't hurt to try. If you or someone you know might benefit from just talking to someone anonymously, here are some resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline = 1 (800) 799 – 7233
RAINN = 1 (800) 656-4673
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline = 1 (800) 422 – 4453
National Alliance on Mental Health = 1 (800) 950 – 6264
National Suicide Prevention Hotline = 800-273-8255