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Fundraising success!

We’ve had some wonderful fundraising successes over the past few weeks, which will enable us to employ more counsellors and increase our helpline opening hours.

The Home Office has allocated additional funds to survivor support organisations and we’re delighted to inform you that we are one of them. We’ve been awarded funding from two funds totalling just over £155,000! We’re over the moon (and some more).

We have also received £14,056 from the Brook Trust, a private charitable trust, towards counselling  costs.

As the need for RSVP’s services increases each year, so do our running costs; needing more staff and resources to support new and existing clients. Our recent fundraising success will have a really positive impact – reducing our counselling waiting list and recruiting more volunteers to give helpline support.

Our fundraising efforts don’t stop here, we still need to rent bigger premises to accommodate for the number of clients requiring our counselling and advocacy support. If you’re interested in donating, or fundraising for RSVP there are many ways you can help.

Training for sexual violence support workers

THE MENTAL HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE: THE SOCIAL / TRAUMA MODEL

The aim of the course is to explore a model linking experiences of violence and abuse with mental distress and draw implications for practice.

The course is aimed at practitioners delivering services to people who are, or may be, experiencing mental distress as a result of experiences of sexual violence, trauma and abuse.

Participants will learn about the connections between childhood sexual abuse and later mental health distress. The course will look into the impact these connections have on service delivery and develop tools for participants’ practical application.

Wednesday 3^rd June. Arrival from 9.00am, training 9.30am-4.30pm

Mailbox, Wharfside St, Birmingham, B1 1RD. 10 minute walk from New Street and Moor Street train stations.

The full-day course costs £75 for voluntary organisations and individuals + booking fee/ £95 for statutory organisations + booking fee. Price includes lunch and refreshments.

The session will be run by Sally Plumb, an independent trainer in mental health law and practice. Sally has worked as a mental health training officer and mental health specialist social worker and has facilitated self-help groups for women who have been sexually abused.

Places are very limited. To book a place on the course, go to Eventbrite.co.uk

Banger Rally – Birmingham to Venice

2015 is officially the year of banger racing! In September, the Rotary Banger Rally is taking place, seeing a convoy of beautiful bangers making the journey from Birmingham to Venice.

The great people at the Rotary Club of Solihull Satellite Group (Team RSG) are collecting for RSVP and we want to encourage as many of our supporters to get involved as possible. Various sponsorship packages are available for businesses and you can see your name rallied around the roads of Europe, all in the name of RSVP.

Would your place of work be interested in sponsoring the event? Speak to your employer about getting your company logo on one of the cars cruising through the continent – it could make a real impact! Supporters can also give direct, for as little as £10.

Have you ever wanted to experience driving on the Autobahn in style, the wind in your hair, accompanied by the face of our favourite bear? That’s right – Pudsey’s Cash Car is joining the fun journey across Europe and continuing to raise money.

For more information, and to see how you can get involved, go to www.rotary-banger-rally-2015.com and follow the journey on twitter #rotrally2015.

Safe driving… and Ciao!

Aleena x

Charity Tuesday Competition

There’s loads of different ways to support RSVP,  and some won’t cost you a penny! The Give as You Live’s Charity Tuesday Competition is a great (and free!) way to help us get funds.  And the best thing is that it happens every Tuesday!

Post a message to @giveasyoulive on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #CharityTuesday, saying which charity you support.  You’ll be in with a chance to win a shopping voucher worth £20, and a £20 donation to RSVP from Give As You Live. We value your help and each and every way you can help to make a difference. Get back what you give and start supporting RSVP today!

Thanks from Melissa!

#Giveme5 – double your donation

Local Giving’s #GiveMe5 campaign gives charities the chance to receive match funding on £5 donations made on Wednesday 28th January and Wednesday 25th February. All donations of £5 we receive on those two days will be added to a random draw, the selected donations will be doubled and all funds will come directly to RSVP.

Your donations will go towards our essential services to survivors of sexual violence and abuse. Our support is freely available to women, children and men affected by sexual violence in Birmingham and Solihull.

£5 pays for one person to travel to a counselling appointment. If your donation is doubled, that £10 pays for three sessions with a volunteer counsellor.

Go to localgiving.com/charity/rsvp-wm and donate £5 to RSVP on Wednesday 28th January or Wednesday 25th February or go to localgiving.com/gm5 to read more about the campaign.

Sexual abuse: the questions you’ve never had a chance to ask

Image courtesy of Dr Nina Burrowes

Over on the Self-help page we’ve put a link to the videos produced by psychologist Dr. Nina Burrowes. We think that many survivors will find what she has to say extremely useful. Nina’s work is invaluable, particularly when survivors are trying to address difficult questions about abuse and are looking for help, advice and answers.

Nina raises questions about sexual abuse, questions that survivors have often never had the chance to ask anyone.  Her video guides are short and informative, covering topics like, ‘Should I go for therapy?’, and ‘Why are sex offenders able to get away with it?’

Nina uses cartoons to help people understand themselves and others better.  She says ‘the key to living with life’s challenges and being the best we can be is understanding our humanity better.’ We certainly find that her range of resources, including her book “The Courage to Be Me” a story of courage, self-compassion and hope after sexual abuse, does just that and helps survivors improve their understanding of themselves. We hope everyone using her resources find them invaluable. www.ninaburrowes.com

Welcome to our new website

We hope you like the look and feel of our new website.

We’ve worked hard to make the website accessible, but if you do find any accessibility issues when browsing the site, please let us know via info@rsvporg.co.uk

Coming soon, we’ll be updating our self help literature, feel free to let us know if there are issues and topics that you’d like to see covered in the self help section.