OUR WORK
ACT’s Lived Experience Storytelling Project
About ACT’s
Lived Experience Storytelling Project
Storytelling as healing & prevention
Storytelling provides a way for us to process past events while simulatenously shining a light on our lived experience for others. Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a traumatic experience, and by sharing personal stories, we can bring unity to the community of individuals in Alaska who have experienced it.
The benefits of storytelling are twofold,
1) a potential for healing and building community for those who have experienced CAN,
2) a chance to reduce stigma and increase awareness to lead to all Alaskans participating in prevention.
“Stories are how we come to understand ourselves and the world around us. For American Indians stories are medicine…being present with yourself and the audience and speaking from the heart.”
-Renda Dionne, clinical psychologist and member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians
“We need to dispel the myth that empathy is ‘walking in someone else’s shoes.’ Rather than walking in your shoes, I need to learn how to listen to the story you tell about what it’s like in your shoes and believe you even when it doesn’t match my experiences.”
-Brené Brown
ACT is looking for Alaskans with lived experience of child abuse and neglect to begin a movement
Our goal is to create a space for healing and destigmatizing these experiences that are all too common in Alaska. Over time, ACT will launch a virtual space for sharing stories of child abuse and neglect and ways to heal. To begin this process, we are looking for brave individuals to share their stories. These stories will be part of a public campaign that kickstarts a movement - a movement to move conversations about child abuse and neglect out of the dark, and into the light.
If you or someone you know is currently experiencing child abuse and neglect, call 1-800-478-4444 or email ReportChildAbuse@alaska.gov
Resources
Use the 211 Alaska website to search for mental health related support groups and mental health services, or call 211 to get confidential help from a caring expect.
Well Beings Alaska Mental Health Resource Toolkit - click here
Find Alaska-specific and national resources in this toolkit from WETA and Alaska Public Media
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - click here or call/ text 988
If you or a loved one are experiences thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress, call or text 988 for 24/7 access to a trained crisis counselor or go to 988lifeline.org to text chat with a counselor online.
Office of Children’s Services- click here
To learn the signs of child abuse and neglect and get detailed information on the reporting process, visit the Alaska Department of Family and Community Services Office of Children’s Services website.
Anonymous Feedback Form
Please use this anonymous form if you have feedback on our lived experience video project, our advisory board, or anything related to this project.