Over at the Friends in tech blog, George was kind enough to create a parent education flier, pointing out some of the various resources where parents can learn more about keeping kids safe on-line. There’s a nice downloadable PDF, suitable for printing and sharing with parents or other groups working to help kids learn to use this vast resource we call the Internet, safely.
The second edition is up! Looks like there is plenty of good reading material in there. Hopefully, I’ll have time to poke around in it soon!
I saw this post at Robert Scoble’s today, where he talks about the private struggles of people’s lives. Lives that you might be tempted to assume are quite perfect, but which really aren’t. It reminded me very much of why this blog exists. I spent so many years feeling like I was the only person struggling with issues surrounding child abuse, and so many years becoming an absolute expert at hiding those issues from everyone around me. All that time, I could have been talking to other survivors, or getting help identifying and resolving some of those issues, but I wasn’t.
Who knows, maybe if I had talked to people, or recognized that there were others going through similar struggles and emotions, I wouldn’t have had the depression and mental breakdown that found me at rock bottom. Maybe I would have found mental health and contentment, not to mention the happiness I can celebrate today, on my 38th birthday, sooner if I had the support and information I have now? Maybe, but that’s all water under the bridge for me. I’m betting there are plenty of people in your life who aren’t in the same position I am, they are still struggling with their own private hells, hiding their struggles from everyone around them. I hope they can find the support they need, somehow.
The first ever carnival against child abuse is up today. Looks like quite a few interesting entries. I haven’t had time to peruse them yet, but I definitely will be later this evening. Go check them out!
I got an email from Lindsay with Zingerplatz Pictures about a screening of Hand Of God a film by Joe Cultrera. In his own words:
The film centers on my brother’s abuse by a Catholic priest (Joseph Birmingham) in 1964, back in our hometown of Salem. The film goes on to tell the story of various interactions between my family and the Boston Archdiocese – culminating in the closing of my parent’s church. It is not a depressing treatment of this issue – my brother’s humor and intellect cuts through it all and ultimately it is a film about personal triumph over a corporation.
One of the many things that make this film different than other media treatments of this issue is that it is told brother to brother, from the inside. The film details our Catholic upbringing; his abuse; what it was like for him to spend 30 years in silence; how he eventually came to action and how his own investigation unraveled various obstructions and lies by the Boston hierarchy (years before this material hit the headlines). It is also constructed in a rather non-traditional documentary style.
Sounds like it might be worth a trip. You can see the schedule of screenings on the site. If you do see it, please leave a comment and let us know how you felt about it!
I saw this at Scoble’s today and I definitely plan on using Paddy as an inspiration and reminder to do my best to impact people in a positive way.
I saw this post a couple of days ago and made a mental note to point to it. Then, as has been the case too often lately, I got busy and forgot. I’m trying to make up for that now. It’s a post with links to news stories about Chris Witty, Olympic SpeedSkater, US flagholder for this year’s Games, a three-time medalist and a surivor of childhood sexual abuse.
I was especially struck by her desire to talk about what happened to her in order to help other kids and survivors feel free to share their own stories and raise awareness of the issues surrounding abuse; depression, low self-esteem, etc. As you know, anything that helps survivors feel less alone is very close to my heart, and I commend Chris for taking this public stance!
Saw another nice bit of helpful information over at the Occupational Adventure blog today. Curt lnks to an article, ten tips to build belief in yourself and offers his own, condensed list. (That makes for easy printing to use as a reminder to yourself.)
I can attest that I’ve done some of things on this list, and taken steps to improve in many of these areas and I have seen the results in my own life. Surrounding yourself with people who believe in you, and spending time making postive contributions by helping people can’t help but make you feel better about yourself and what you have to offer. Isn’t it time we survivors started to trade in those images of ourselves that we have held onto for something more positive, and healthy?
Saw a pointer today from the World of Psychology blog to an article entitled Cyber-Catharsis: Bloggers Use Web Sites as Therapy
Go ahead, read the article, then come back and read my thoughts….
Reading through the blogs today I saw a post about Thursday, Oct. 6 being National Depression Screening Day.
Much like that post talks about, it’s never a bad idea to get a free depression screening. Trust me, if you’re thinking that you might be a little depressed, find out, get the correct treatment, medication, therapy, both, etc. and get a handle on this illness before it gets worse. Don’t let it take more of your life than it already has.
News and Reviews