Dave Dodds, the eyes of Coached into Silence. 

The Sex-Abuse Scandal Plaguing USA Swimming→

A disturbing report on the decades-long history of coaches sexually abusing young athletes.

We are with you, Anna. 

The Shame of Borough Park→

Rachel Aviv on a Hasidic sex-abuse scandal. After a child-molestation case, leaders of the community turned against the whistleblower, Sam Kellner.

via the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre

paperhangerrr:

Pages Matam- “Pinata”

Chilling, spoken word response to overhearing a man on a bus tell his female friend that she was, “too ugly to be raped.”

Watch this. Now.

My aim is true.: SafePath Empowerment Luncheon→

chrisgavagan:

What an honor it was to have the opportunity to meet and speak to everyone at the Empowerment Luncheon hosted by SafePath in Marietta. The reaction to my hour-long talk was superb, but it was the dialogue of the incredibly thought-provoking Q & A (scheduled for about 20 minutes, but…

chrisgavagan:

Honored to be an honorary SafePath Pal. You can have a look at some of the incredibly important work that they do at www.safepath.org

Attend the SafePath Empowerment Luncheon featuring Chris Gavagan

From East Cobber Magazine: 

 Home / Do-Gooders Blog / Attend the SafePath Empowerment Luncheon featuring Chris Gavagan

Attend the SafePath Empowerment Luncheon featuring Chris Gavagan

OCTOBER 1, 2013 1 COMMENT

SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center’s Community Council will host an Empowerment Luncheon featuring Chris Gavagan at the Cobb Senior Wellness Center on October 10, from 11:30-1:30pm.

A chance meeting with a hockey coach over twenty years ago uniquely qualified Chris Gavagan to tell the stories in Coached into Silence, a documentary about sexual abuse within the world of organized sports. In it, we will hear the stories of a diverse group of athletes whom the system failed to protect. Far more sinister than those failures of prevention, this film will shed light on the organizational, institutional and legal systems which have conspired to silence the victims while protecting profits, reputations and in some cases, the predators themselves.

Yet these clear cases of such clear-cut wrongs are the exceptions. It is rarely that simple. Much more often it is a combination of subtle failures by well-intentioned individuals which have prevented the proper actions from being taken to protect children in their care.

Drawing on lessons learned from 4 years of research and production on Coached into Silence, conversations with hundreds of survivors, parents, experts, and drawing on his personal experience as a victim of sexual abuse by a coach, he will discuss the ways that we as individuals and as a society unwittingly silence ourselves, and how those obstacles can be overcome.

Registration is $20 and includes lunch. To register, visit http://safepath.org/events/happenings%20.

FILED UNDER: DO-GOODERS BLOG, [FEATURED], [POSTTOSOCIAL] TAGGED WITH: CHRIS GAVAGAN, SAFEPATH CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTER

26 Male Survivors Of Sexual Assault Quoting The People Who Attacked Them →

From Grace Brown’s Project Unbreakable , an online platform that strives to “increase awareness of the issues surrounding sexual assault.” Trigger warning for sexual assault.

From http://projectunbreakable.tumblr.com

On October 10th Coached into Silence director Chris Gavagan will be in Marietta Georgia to speak at the SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center’s Empowerment Luncheon. 

For more info or to sign up, you can check out Safepath’s Events page, under Happenings. http://www.safepath.org/events/happenings%20

Webinar taking place right now with USOC Director, Ethics and Safe Sport Malia Arrington & Kayla Harrison

honeynbees:

projectunbreakable:

joyfulheartinspired:

“My perpetrator’s words are the deepest, most insidious part of my abuse.

I wrote them down, I read them, I saw them in black and white on the paper. And I saw them reflected in the looks on the faces of people in the street that day.

For the first time, I got those words off of me and out of me. It loosened my grip on the lie—the lie that somehow all of this was my fault, that somehow, at five years old, I caused it.

I held that sign, I bore its weight and I walked away lighter.” - Maile Zambuto in her introduction to Grace Brown; Joyful Revolution Gala 2012

Googling yourself while still in your pajamas at four-thirty pm on your birthday (this project is no longer run by a teenager!) is perhaps the lamest thing you can do. And I usually abstain from posting anything other than portraits on the website. However, Maile’s story about being photographed portrays exactly why I do this & I really wanted to share this one with you guys. 

Also, side note: about a year ago, I was graduating from high school. It’s amazing to me how much has changed in a year. Thanks for your continued support of both the project and of the survivors who participate. I can’t tell you what it means to me to see everyone come together. 

Grace

Looking at my project unbreakable photo makes me feel proud. That is powerful, especially since my trauma is so encumbered with feelings of shame and regret.