About Us
We are a peer-led support community of survivors and people helping survivors, dedicated to building paths out of active abuse conditions together. We help each other come together to address our unmet needs while addressing the needs of each other. We do this together in ways that are mutually protected and secure, and that value the agency of each person while building functional community.
About Peer Support
How do peer-led support groups work?
Volunteers take turns opening meetings by calling for volunteers to read the group's Relational Agreements out loud. Everybody is welcome to try to volunteer. It’s okay for volunteers to lack confidence; it’s okay for accidents to happen; and it’s okay to try again another time. If you offer to volunteer and become unable, you can pass at any moment by asking for a new volunteer. Throughout the meeting, everyone helps to make sure that everyone who needs to share has a chance.
Relational Agreements
Our relational agreements are agreements about how we wish to be treated and how we agree to treat each other. Their purpose is to provide all of us with the bumpers that we might need to be kind with each other. Chances are, if you are reading this, you might come from a place where there isn’t a lot of kindness. Relational agreements are made for us to help each other with as much kindness as possible.
What if I cannot prove or explain my experiences?
No one will ask you to. Survivors of many types of experiences may be unable to speak directly about those experiences––either through trauma; absence of shared experiences with others; social invisibility; disablement; or otherwise. Nobody will be forced to prove their experience or existence. We are just going to be kind with each other.
Does group membership have a fee? No.
Kindness and community should not have a monetary cost! We are however seeking skilled people to help with fundraising (web support, physical space, etc.) and for funding our Emergency Hardship Program that functions to help people who are born into trafficking and/or life-threatening trauma conditions leave those conditions and get the kind of actionable help they need to stay free of those conditions.
How do I join?
We offer an orientation with peer-support group coordinators for new people wishing to join, in order to make sure that we are a good fit together. If you're interested, you can reach out to us at registration@helpexists.org and a group coordinator will be in touch!