#WeRideTogether Invites Survivors to Share their Stories and Amplify the Voices of Athletes Everywhere
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#WeRideTogether’s newly relaunched website empowers athletes and coaches to recognize and prevent sexual misconduct in sport and continues to shine a light on the endemic issue of sexual abuse in all sports. Through the recently expanded Survivor Stories Series, first-hand stories of abuse at the hands of persons in power, #WeRideTogether is making the radical change needed to eliminate sexual misconduct in sports by creating a safe place for survivors to share their voices and removing the stigma around these necessary conversations. We believe stories can change the world and so can survivors.
Survivor Stories Series: The Importance and Gifts of Storytelling
Increasing awareness and decreasing stigma are central to eliminating sexual abuse in sport, which is a core goal of the Survivor Stories Series. Unlike often retraumatizing processes, such as retelling one’s abuse in the justice system, the experience of telling a survivor story in a compassionate, like-minded, and trauma-informed setting can be empowering and helpful. The Series invites athletes, coaches, and participants from any sport, at any level, to share their stories and journeys anonymously, within a safe platform, and help others who may have had similar experiences.
Some poignant and meaningful words from the Survivors Stories Series include:
“Know that it gets better. It really does. You’ve just got to keep pushing. It’s hard. And it’s going to shape you for the rest of your life. But you get to decide what you do with it: you can either let the trauma run away with you, or you can make something of it.”
“If you are reading this, and you are questioning something that happened to you, if you are feeling scared or guilty or confused, please know this: you are not to blame for what happened, and you are not alone. No matter how old you are, whether it happened yesterday or thirty years ago, you are a victim, and you should not feel shame. Please talk to someone you feel safe with. Abusers want us to feel isolated, but we are not. We have each other.”
“But if I can be that voice for somebody else—if I can share my truth and tell her what I’ve learned; tell her she can fight through that darkness, that she’s not alone, that she’s enough—then maybe that person can start to have a healthier life. Maybe she doesn’t have to wait until she’s 42, maybe she can start at 14 or 24.”
“I want to make sure that it doesn’t happen to anyone else. Because this is so much bigger than myself.”
No matter the sport, these are the threads binding survivors together and directing the world and our systems to solutions. You are not alone.
If you are a survivor who is interested in sharing your story and want to learn more about this process, please reach out to Kathryn McClain, #WeRideTogether’s Program and Partnerships Director, at kmcclain@weridetogether.today for more information.
Please seek out professional medical and mental health advice and support as needed. If you are in crisis, please visit the #WeRideTogether crisis resources page.
#WeRideTogether is a nonprofit organization created in 2021 to shine a light on the endemic issue of sexual abuse in all sports. Our mission is to make youth and amateur sport environments safer for all athletes. We believe that sport should be the safest and healthiest place for children and young adults to grow and flourish, and that every individual has the right to learn, play, and compete without fear of sexual abuse. #WeRideTogether is committed to creating the radical change needed to fulfill that mission by addressing education and awareness, creating a safe place for survivors to find resources and share their voices, and eliminating the stigma around these necessary conversations.
Visit WeRideTogether.today to watch compelling PSAs, find educational tools and resources, and learn how you can help keep sports safe for everyone. You can also make a tax-deductible donation here to support #WeRideTogether’s mission.
Contact: Lauren Kay // Remarq // lauren@remarqinc.com – 310-409-8754
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