Since summer 2000, S:VOX (in its embryonic form) has run a programme of support for survivors of abuse of any kind and seminars and workshops to educate the wider community about abuse and recovery.
Greenbelt is a Christian Arts Festival, though it is important to say that S:VOX exists for people of any faith or none. For more information about Greenbelt, visit their site at www.greenbelt.org.uk. There is a page on their website specifically about S:VOX at the Greenbelt website
The S:VOX survivors programme for Greenbelt 2007 included:
Support groups for abuse survivors
These groups are only for people who have experienced abuse: sexual, emotional, physical or spiritual, as a child or adult. We come together to share our experiences, recognising that we are all at different places in our journey. All are welcome to come along at any time, to share or just listen and "be". There were two group sessions over the weekend: Saturday and Monday evenings at 7.30pm in Hatton's Grace.
Open workshop on abuse issues
As part of the talks programme, S:VOX joined with NAPAC to lead a workshop:
From trauma to transformation:
What helps survivors to journey beyond the trauma and suffering and discover a sense of wholeness and of 'heaven' in their daily lives? How can these insights help all of us move beyond the traumatic in our lives and discover heaven in the ordinary?
Chris (NAPAC) Jane (SVOX) and friends led an interactive workshop using art, discussion and our experience to explore tools for transformation. The workshop was at 10.30am on Monday in the Festival suite.
At the Greenbelt workshop this year we collected ideas to complete the phrase Heaven is...
See what we have already collected and please add your comments here
Informal gatherings
There were also some informal meet-ups on site for tea and chit chat. We see mutual support in the struggles and joys of daily life as core to S:VOX and the self-help model.
Recordings of Greenbelt seminars
In the last 5 years, a library of seminar recordings on issues of abuse and related subjects has been developed through our work at greenbelt. These include seminars on topics such as:
Tree of life, tree of death-- Jane Chevous and Concetta Perot
- Home is where the hurt is
- Helping without hurting
- Eating disorders and self harm
- Pastoral & therapeutic abuse
Abuse: exploding the myth
Healing the wounds of trauma
These can be obtained through the greenbelt website, or click on the SVOX briefing sheets & resources page for links that will take you straight to the page where you can order them.
