We Are Survivors believes that the healing journey happens in every environment, not just the traditional counselling room. We Are Survivors itself was born when a group of male survivors, appalled by the lack of support available to them, came together in a coffee shop to just be survivors. In the 15+ years since, the organisation has learned how essential connection with other survivors can be to the healing process and have created several safe spaces outside of regular therapy where these connections can be made; where survivors can, hopefully, not only survive, but move on with their lives and thrive.
Introduction to these spaces begins with our Step Into Support service. Step Into Support was set-up because we realised people faced multiple barriers when accessing support, be those physical, psychological, social, or cultural and we wanted to make accessing all our services as easy as possible for all our clients. Accessing support for the first time can be scary and it is normal for people to feel anxious, afraid, hesitant, and uncomfortable when they first walk through our doors.
Your first Step Into Support session takes place at one of our sites where many of our activities take place. This first session will be a personalised session; one-on-one with one of the Community Development Team. No other people accessing the service will be present.
The session will last up to one hour, depending on your preferences. You will see the space, find a comfortable spot within the space, build up a rapport with the staff member, voice any concerns or queries you may have. We hope, you leave the session feeling more confident about moving forward in your healing journey with us than when walking through the door one hour earlier. You will also leave with a firm understanding of our monthly activity calendar and what each of those activities looks like in terms of environment, commitment, and group size.
All our activities are free and have taken much work and effort to get right. Designed by our Community Development Team they are as follows:
- Drop In – A space for clients to come along and have an informal brew and a chat. A great opportunity to connect with other survivors. Various activities are ongoing including art, board games and computer games.
- The Safe Room – A fortnightly confidential peer to peer support group. Can be accessed either face to face or online. Great friendships have been forged within The Safe Room and many attendees have gone on to successfully complete therapy.
- The Yoga Studio – A weekly free yoga session in a safe, trauma informed space open to all our clients. A place can be booked in advance by calling our office.
- The Coffee Shop – A chance to ‘go grab a coffee’ and socialise at pre-determined safe venues across the city.
- The Hangout – A brand new and evolving space for clients and allies of our community aged 18-30 to relax and enjoy a variety of events and activities.
- The Art Room – Art sessions for all levels – Self led sessions either online or face to face.
- The Builder’s Yard – Informal Lego building sessions where you can connect with your peers, enjoy Lego, chat, and have a brew.
- The Writing Room – A weekly themed creative writing session. Attendees can share what they write or choose not to.
- The Garden at RHS Bridgewater – Get out of the city for a gardening session in beautiful surroundings at RHS, planting, and harvesting in our community plots. Clients are picked up by taxi at our Unit 17 office space and dropped back off at 3.30pm.
We also team up with partnership organisations within the city to engage in visits and creative workshops.
Some of the art and writing created within our spaces have been exhibited at HOME Manchester, displayed on billboards within the city, recorded as audio dramas, and published as part of a short story anthology.
Here are some examples of some of our clients’ creations [add link here]
If you want to know more about these activities, book a Step Into Support appointment, and/or join our newsletter mailing list, then contact our Community Development Team on 0161 236 2182 or email [email protected].
