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Here’s an update of news and resources:
I received a copy of Underdog: Words and Pictires from an Abused Childhood, written and illustrated by Stuart W. Allen of Derbyshire, United Kingdom. (Thank you again, Stuart.) In addition to his moving words, Stuart uses powerful imagery of wolves in his recovery memoir/metaphor. His art work is impressive. For further information about the book you can contact Chesterfield Male Survivors: cm.survivors@btinternet.com To order a copy of the book or to contact the author, write to Stuart Allen, P.O. Box 3850, Sheffield, S20 9AG, United Kingdom. Enclose a SASE if you would like a reply. The price of the book is GBP 4.99 including postage and packaging. Send checks (or cheques if you are English) payable to S. Allen.
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I recently heard from Martin Moran, author of the brilliant recovery memoir (and one-man play) The Tricky Part, that the book was named a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Annual Discover Great New Writers Award. They couldn’t have made a better choice. If you haven’t yet read this deeply moving book, treat yourself to it.
Here is what the press release said about the book: “Actor/playwright Martin Moran's exquisitely written memoir, The Tricky Part, startles and provokes with the questions it raises about the consequences of sexual abuse, and the possibility of forgiveness.”
The winners will be announced on March 1st. Congratulations, Marty, and good luck!
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Update on the August Male Survivors’ Weekend in Pennsylvania:
The cost of the weekend has been determined. It is US$ 380. This price includes meals (Friday dinner through Sunday lunch), lodging, and the workshop itself. See the Events page for more information and a registration form.
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Update on the July Healing the Healers 3 Retreat in Wiltshire, England.
We are indeed fortunate that Alastair Hilton has agreed to facilitate the day that focuses on activism. He will be ably assisted by Fay Maxted and Georgina Winkley and, no doubt, the many other activists who will be there. (In deference to these three, I will employ some British spelling for what follows.)
Alastair was a founder and driving force of First Step, the male survivor organisation in Leicester, England. He is currently a social worker in Cambodia. Al is a person of great insight and understanding. His commitment to social change is not diminished by his off-beat sense of humour and capacity for injecting fun into serious topics. Al's participation will continue to add a cross-cultural perspective to these retreats. This is something we wanted from its inception. I'm pleased that we continue to receive registrations and expressions of interest from people in a number of countries outside the UK.
I asked Alastair, Fay, and Gina to send me brief bios. Here they are in their own words:
Alastair Hilton: “I am an English social worker with 20 years of experience in various fields, including residential care for children, alcohol/drug misuse and therapeutic work with children and families. My professional and personal experiences ultimately led to my becoming a founder member of First Step - a male survivors project based in Leicester (UK) in 1997. Since 2001, I have travelled extensively in South East Asia, settling in Cambodia for the time being, where I currently work for a local NGO (Social Services of Cambodia). My work involves advising and supervising the work of a team of social workers in Kompong Speu province, one of the poorest in the country. The caseload is varied, including work with clients with severe mental health problems, those affected by trauma in Cambodia's painful past, victims of physical and sexual abuse and trafficking and those affected by grinding poverty. In the next twelve months I am hoping to increasingly develop awareness of the issue of sexual abuse of boys and men, encouraging the development of safe & empowering services and responses.”
Al also wrote: “I spoke to some of my Khmer colleagues today about Healing the Healers. Some of them are thinking of making a short video to share their thoughts on healing.”
Fay Maxted: “I have been working in the voluntary sector with survivors of rape and sexual abuse for the past eleven years, having been initially recruited as a volunteer for RoSA (Rape or Sexual Abuse support for men and women) by a perceptive friend who saw a helper in me.
Over the years I have gained a number of counselling qualifications and experience, and have discovered that I am a human being after all, a survivor, and not a victim defined by experience. I want to share the knowledge and hope that this transformation can happen with anyone who will listen and for this purpose have co-authored, with Robert Kelly, The Survivor’s Guide to Recovery from Rape or Sexual Abuse.
My passion for promoting the needs of survivors has now taken me into the role of National Co-ordinator of The Survivors Trust, a UK umbrella body representing specialist voluntary sector services working with survivors. My vision is a society where everyone works together to end sexual violence in all its forms - where women, men and children can live and grow up free from fear and harm. Resistance to this vision is futile.”
Georgina Winkley: “Since the early 1970s I have supported survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the roles of teacher and trainer, re-evaluation counsellor and counselling service coordinator, and often in no particular role at all. At present I am Director of Training for the Aberystwyth (North Wales) and District Branch of Samaritans, and as Company Secretary of Mind Aberystwyth I do whatever it takes to keep The Mill grinding in the cause of mental health for all.”
What a team! Please note that this day on activism will in no way turn the retreat into work. The primary focus will continue to be on self-care for people who work with survivors. And we will have fun doing it.
The international flavour continues to increase. We currently have registrants from all over the United Kingdom plus Norway, Switzerland, Spain, United States, and New Zealand – and interest expressed by people in Canada, France, Netherlands, Israel, Australia, and several African nations. The more, the merrier. See the Events page for more information.
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Awareness of – and interest in – male survivor issues continues to grow, While they are not yet “done deals”, there have been enquiries about publishing translations of Victims No Longer in Spanish, Swedish, French, Japanese, Chinese, and Hebrew. I would be thrilled by any or all of these possibilities. I’ll let you know if (when) any of them becomes a reality. I was also approached about doing trainings or workshops in California, Wyoming, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alaska, British Columbia, Israel. Watch this space.
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The organization Innocence in Danger has Web sites in English, French, and German. See the Resources page for the links.
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The December 9, 2005 issue of the National Catholic Reporter included clinical psychologist Mary Gail Frawley-O’Dea’s strong, reasoned response to the Vatican’s egregious attempt to link child abuse to sexual orientation. You can read the article at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_7_42/ai_n15969576
Mary Gail's book Perversion of Power and Sexual Scandal in the Catholic Church: A Psychosocial Analysis of the Sexual Abuse Crisis will be published by Vanderbilt University Press in 2006. She co-edited a book Predatory Priests and Silent Victims to be published by The Analytic Press in 2006. She is the coauthor of Treating the Adult Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse (Basic Books, 1994).
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Well, that’s all for now – but it is a lot. Until next time,
please take care of yourself.
All the best,
Mike
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