Support Circle for Survivors of sexual violence (Thursday 29th August, 7.55-9:30pm)

TheMix

We know that some young people who have experienced sexual violence find it hard to access face-to-face services and most have never met another person with the same experiences as them. Come along to speak to a small group of young people with shared experiences of sexual violence and find support from a community that understands.

We want you to feel comfortable knowing that it’s okay to talk about your experiences with sexual violence or not, there’s no pressure to delve into that in the session. The group will be there to support you with whatever you'd like to talk about.

The next Support Circle for survivors will be on Thursday 29th August from 7.55pm-9:30pm.

How do I sign up?
To sign up for a place, complete our registration form. A few hours after you sign up, you'll be sent an email telling you how to confirm your space.

What is Support Circle?

Support Circle is a group chat of around 4 people, where everyone takes turns to get support while the rest of the group listens. Whether you’re looking for support or just somewhere to hang out, Support Circle is a safe, welcoming, non-judgmental space. You can sign up to get support or be a listener for others.

The room is password-protected and facilitated by a moderator. Everyone arrives at the start and stays for the whole session to make sure everyone in the group is supported equally.

What should I expect when I join?

Support Circle is broken up into four segments:

8:00 - 8:10pm | Arrivals and opening round question
8:10 - 8:15pm | Creating a group agreement
8:15 - 9:15pm | Support hour (split equally between everyone)
9:15 - 9:30pm | Closing round question

What can I talk about?

If you have (or think you might have) experienced sexual violence, come along for a safe space to chat. We want you to feel comfortable knowing though that it’s okay to talk about your experiences with sexual violence or not, there’s no pressure to delve into that in the session. The group will be there to support you with whatever you'd like to talk about.

If your case is under investigation currently by the police, we kindly ask that you don’t share details of the incident that’s being investigated and anything that identifies you. The reason for this is because we may be legally required to share this information for your investigation so it's best to use an anonymous username when joining the session and avoid sharing your abuser's name.

Take a look at the Community Guidelines on Safety and Confidentiality which can help you to understand how to safely share your experiences in the group.

Will you keep my conversation confidential?

The Mix is a safe space and your conversations here are kept confidential. We might only need to widen your circle of confidentiality if:
- We believe your life, or someone else’s, is in danger
- We believe you are currently hurting someone else
- You’re being seriously harmed by someone in a position of trust who is able to hurt other young people, like a teacher, religious leader, sports coach, police officer or doctor
- Our staff, services, volunteers or organisation are threatened
- We are also legally required to share information if legal action is taken to request information. This can include legal action taken through the Data Protection Act, or during criminal investigations. We receive information about terrorist activity that has taken place or will take place. We will share this with the police.

If your case is under investigation currently by the police, we kindly ask that you don’t share details of the incident that’s being investigated and anything that identifies you. The reason for this is because we may be legally required to share this information for your investigation so it's best to use an anonymous username when joining the session and avoid sharing your abuser's name.

Do I have to support others?

We ask that everybody tries their best to contribute during others’ time to share. The idea is that we all chip in to help each other and your support can make a huge difference. If you're not sure what to say, let someone know you're listening and here for them.

What if I can't stay for the whole session?

Think of Support Circle a bit like a face-to-face support group - it can come across as disrespectful to others if you leave in the middle, so try your best to stay for the whole chat. If you are finding something triggering, it's best to take a break from your phone or computer rather than leave the chatroom. It takes a lot of strength for someone to open up about their experience and leaving halfway through could make someone worry about what they've shared.

What order do people go in?

The order is randomised and communicated to you before the session begins.

After you sign up, you'll be sent a confirmation email. Make sure you respond to that email to secure your place for the session.

Pop any questions below ⤵

JustV

The session this Thursday is fairly empty if anyone wants to give it a go

Here's what you can talk about:

If you have (or think you might have) experienced sexual violence, come along for a safe space to chat. We want you to feel comfortable knowing though that it’s okay to talk about your experiences with sexual violence or not, there’s no pressure to delve into that in the session. The group will be there to support you with whatever you'd like to talk about.

If your case is under investigation currently by the police, we kindly ask that you don’t share details of the incident that’s being investigated and anything that identifies you. The reason for this is because we may be legally required to share this information for your investigation so it's best to use an anonymous username when joining the session and avoid sharing your abuser's name.

Take a look at the Community Guidelines on Safety and Confidentiality which can help you to understand how to safely share your experiences in the group.

Gemma

Hey everyone, we have posted an update about our Thursday Support Circle sessions for survivors of sexual violence here. We will no longer be running this weekly, but they will be reduced to monthly within our new topic-specific chat structure.

Gemma

Hey everyone!

Our Thursday Support Circle for survivors of sexual violence will be back this Thursday, 29th August.

We'll be booking in these sessions monthly at 4-week intervals (within our topic-specific chat structure) so we'll keep you all updated on the schedule.

We'd love to see you come along this week so if you're interested, sign-up here

eylah

hi was wondering if sexual harassment and other sexual trauma is included to? if so can i still sign up or is it to late. thankyou

Gemma

Hey @eylah, you can definitely come along to speak about sexual harassment and sexual trauma in this group too. We would never pressure you into talking about a specific topic here - we just hope by running these kinds of sessions that survivors can meet other survivors and connect.

Unfortunately we have filled our slots for tomorrow's session. But you're welcome to sign up as a listener and then you would be first in line for support as it stands if someone were not to turn up on the day.

eylah

Gemma wrote: »

Hey @eylah, you can definitely come along to speak about sexual harassment and sexual trauma in this group too. We would never pressure you into talking about a specific topic here - we just hope by running these kinds of sessions that survivors can meet other survivors and connect.

Unfortunately we have filled our slots for tomorrow's session. But you're welcome to sign up as a listener and then you would be first in line for support as it stands if someone were not to turn up on the day.

thankyou gemma is it on next week? can i sign up for next week . appreciate it .

Gemma

We're running our Survivors Circle monthly at the moment @eylah within our new topic-specific chat structure on Thursdays. So the next session will be in a month's time

Rose113

Hey @eylah you can have my space for tomorrow if you want I don’t particularly need it

eylah

Rose113 wrote: »

Hey @eylah you can have my space for tomorrow if you want I don’t particularly need it

are you sure? feel bad taking your space but idk if that will be allowed. thankyou rose

Rose113

@eylah of course I’m sure @Gemma will be Okie with it, I’ll also pop them an email later on

eylah

thankyou sm @Rose113 your so kind for doing that i appreciate it sm ❤️🫂.

Gemma

Thank you both @Rose113 and @eylah - know you've both reached out to the staff team about this so we'll manage it!