LIVING BRIDGES PROJECT AUDIO STORIES

welcome to the stories...

The following stories are part of the Living Bridges Project. They are all anonymous and for confidentiality purposes, all of the names in the stories have been changed. Please keep in mind that our lives are made up of many, many stories and the stories shared here have many, many layers and complexities. I hope these stories will be received with respect, care, and humility for the risk and courage it takes to share our stories about child sexual abuse, even anonymously. These stories are less about the violence and abuse, and more about the responses that followed and the surrounding conditions that allowed for the violence to happen. They are in service of our work to prevent, respond to and end child sexual abuse within our own communities. Many of the stories here have multiple parts, as well as additional excerpts. 

I hope these stories will be as meaningful to you as they have been for me. I hope they will be used in (y)our work to address child sexual abuse in our communities and to build a world free of violence, harm and abuse for all children and generations to come. 

SELF CARE:  Please take care of yourself as you listen to these stories, as they may bring up unexpected things for you. Think about what kind of care you might need in engaging with these stories. Below are some suggestions that may be useful, especially if you think some of the content may be triggering: 

• Listen with a friend and/or support person. Or have at least one person in your life that you can reach out to if you need support. 
• Think about what might be best for you before, during and after such as: Plan to do something that brings you joy, reflection or nourishment; plan down time or to be around people who support you in taking care of yourself; have a meaningful object with you that helps to ground/comfort you as you listen (something you can wear, hold and/or look at may be helpful).