Making a Difference-Canada in partnership with representatives of the Provincial Child Sexual Abuse Advisory Committee and the PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre will be holding the first of three Canadian presentations of The Voices and Faces Project on Prince Edward Island, announced Honourable Janice Sherry, Minister of Community Services, Seniors and Labour.
The Voices and Faces Project is a national documentary project created to give voice and face to survivors of sexual violence, offering a sense of solidarity to those who have lived through sexual assault and abuse while raising awareness of how this human rights and public health issue impacts victims, families and communities.
“As Minister responsible for children, women, men, seniors and persons with disabilities, I am particularly aware of the impact of sexual violence on Islanders, young and old, female and male, from urban and rural communities and across all income levels,” said Minister Sherry. “The Voices and Faces Project is intended to raise awareness of the diversity of people who have been affected by sexual violence and to offer true stories of survivors so that their wisdom will bring hope to other survivors.”
Anne K. Ream, cofounder of this Canadian outreach project, will be presenting “True Stories of Hope and Healing” Thursday, May 13, 2010 at the Trinity United Church in Summerside beginning at 7 p.m. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with Anne Ream; Rev. Dr. Andrew Richardson; Sigrid Rolfe, Coordinator of the PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre; Janet Goldblatt, a Canadian sexual assault survivor; and a local representative of SAGE, a PEI organization of adult survivors of child sexual abuse. The presentation and panel discussion are free of charge and all are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.
Also, as part of the project, Canadian survivors of sexual violence are being interviewed and their stories will be included in future presentations of The Voices and Faces Project.
Prince Edward Island survivors are participating in the project. A Prince Edward Island man has been interviewed and his story will be featured on The Voices and Faces Project. This is an important opportunity to acknowledge the impact of sexual violence on men and boys.
A local group, SAGE, is also being featured in the project. SAGE is a community grassroots volunteer organization committed to educating and empowering communities to prevent child sexual abuse. SAGE is an example of how survivors can come together to support one another.
For more information on The Voices and Faces Project, visit www.voicesandfaces.org.