----------------------- Page 1----------------------- Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA) Global Newsletter Summer 2018 In This Issue -Brave Survivor: Jacob's -Story and Song -ASCA Support Group: Cofacilitator training -Upcoming Survey -Make A Difference -Volunteer, comment, find us on Facebook In this Quarterly newsletter issue, We shine a light on Original artwork by Adult Survivors of Amaroq Child Abuse through their artwork, poetry, and personal stories. We also share about upcoming training, and a survey that we are sure you will not want to miss. As our Quarterly newsletter will sometimes f eature survivor 's p ersonal stories, p lease be advised some content could be triggering f or some p eop le. The Morris Center and the ASCA Program continue to grow worldwide with over 50 support group meetings. We need your help to reach more survivors. Please consider volunteering, following us on Facebook, or by making a donation in any requested amount that feels right for you. The Morris Center wants to remind all of you that you are awesome and appreciated. The Morris Center for Healing from Child Abuse ----------------------- Page 2----------------------- Māori woman playing guitar by Amaroq "I met and was able to hang out with a group of hilariously funny Māori women elders last year, after they were flown in to do a show at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA. The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. They were fighting like crazy for their water rights. A tradition that goes back thousands of years, Māori women wear blue lipstick made from a natural dye. This artwork also shows how the current young indigenous generation of women still take pride in keeping up the tradition of chin tattoos." Brave Survivor: Jacob 's story and song My name is Jacob. I am 52 years old living in Australia, and I have been on a healing j ourney since I was 37. Before then, I had no compassion for abuse survivors. Then my first daughter was born, and a great crack opened up in the armor that I had used to block ----------------------- Page 3----------------------- my feelings. This happened as I looked to this perfect vulnerable baby in the hospital. I could not deal with how much I loved this baby girl. After all, I did not yet love myself: A price I paid for denying the abuse I suffered as a child and keeping my parents in my life. As I sat in the hospital watching my beautiful baby daughter take her first breaths, kissing her cheeks for the very first time, and the sunlight coming through the window, I suddenly realized I would be so upset if anyone ever treated her the way my parents had treated me. After that, I was plunged into the most horrific PTSD. I didn't know it was PTSD. I j ust thought I was going mad. Night mares, day mares, anxiety attacks, dizzy spells. I thought about suicide: If I were gone, what would happen to my daughter? Finally I found my way to an ASCA group and very slowly I started to heal. ----------------------- Page 4----------------------- I learn't how to draw boundaries. From now on I would have no one in my life who tried to minimize or make excuses for the things that my parents and their pedophile friend had done to me. My parents would not apologize. Instead they wanted me to take the blame, so I cut them from my life. It was a very important lesson. Abusive families do not consider the rape of innocent children as a crime. Rather they consider it a crime to talk about it, so talk about it I did, and this is why the ASCA groups are so important. I didn't stop there. I told my story on Facebook and outed my family to the world. They were so angry, but nothing was stopping me now. These days my life is so much better. I no longer let people walk all over me. What a surprise it has been for them! I think that we survivors have a very important message to deliver to the world, not only to abusive families, but to society in general where the powerful prey on the vulnerable and then try to j ustify it in terms of their authority. I have pledged my life to being a good father and spreading this message. I am an optimist. I believe we can change the world. When we remove violence from the lives of children we will raise a generation that will not predate on each other with guns and armies and governments. I believe this. I wrote a song about the court case I went to a few years back, where finally a pedophile got locked up who abused me and my siblings. I must confess: I shamelessly ripped the chords of Jet plane by John Denver. SURVIVORS SONG G C I'm here in Murray Bridge. I'm waiting for the train. G C I kiss my love good bye. She's 8 months on way G C D I hope my bubs don't come while I'm away ----------------------- Page 5----------------------- G C gotta go back to the streets of shame, G C Melbourne town dirty and grey, G C D where I swore I'd never go back again G C Cause they said it didn't matter. We were j ust kids G C We probably deserved it. It was something that we did G C D We was probably lying anyway G C But now there is a rising tide G C Survivors come from far and wide G C D The mans gotta listen to what we have to say G C No longer do we have to hide G C We don't have to believe their lies G C D The mans gotta listen to what we've got to say G C It only took the adults 37 years G C To wash the wax out from between their ears G C D And finally hear what we'd been trying to say G C They didn't have the heart to see our tears G C They didn't have the soul to feel our fears G C D They closed their eyes and they looked the other way G C They said it didn't matter. We were ]j ust kids G C ----------------------- Page 6----------------------- We probably deserved it. It was something we did G C D We was probably lying anyway G C But now their is a rising tide G C Survivors come from far and wide G C D The mans gotta listen to what we've got to say G C We might be old and grey G C But we come for j ustice today G C D The mans gotta listen to what we've got to say Chalk artwork by an Adult Survivor of Child Abuse in California ----------------------- Page 7----------------------- Exclusive news for future ASCA Co- facilitators INTERESTED IN FREE TRAINING TO BECOME A CO-FACILITATOR? Get the training you need to start your own ASCA Support Group ! Receive future mentoring and guidance from other co-facilitators Give back to the ASCA community by learning how to hold safe meeting spaces PART I and PART II: July 28th & August 4th contact us to sign up today ! Greetings fellow Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, We are excited to share that the co-facilitators from ASCA Santa Clarita support group, and The Morris Center Board of Directors (creators of the ASCA program) ----------------------- Page 8----------------------- are working on a proj ect to address a need we had noticed among survivors like you and me: Finding qualified therapists. A survey will be coming out in August, empowering you to use your voice to help us gather information about survivor's experiences with therapists. The survey is anonymous and will only take between 4-9 minutes. August is right around the corner ! We look forward to your responses on our upcoming survey. With Great Thanks, Karen and Jessie, ASCA Santa Clarita The Norma J. Morris Center Board of Directors "1 in 6 adults are survivors of child abuse. I'm a survivor of child abuse. Ask me about it." Begin the conversation. Make A Difference ----------------------- Page 9----------------------- Support The ASCA community If you would like to volunteer, have comments, or would like to provide supportive feedback for anyone featured in this newsletter, send an email to ascanewseditor@gmail.com .When providing supportive feedback, please remember to include that person's name in the subject line of your email. The Morris Center provides training, coaching and mentoring for Adult Survivors of Child Abuse who are interested in volunteering. New volunteers are always welcome. Be featured in the ASCA Newsletter Please submit: your own stories, photography, artwork, poetry and other self-expression, book reviews, and upcoming events to ascanewseditor@gmail.com. A special thank you, to all those who have made a donation to the Norma J Morris Center. We would not be here without you. Like us on Facebook! | SUBSCRIBE to our Newsletter! 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