“Together We Heal” says…Thank You! Gracias! Vielen Dank! Dankie! Merci! @Together_WeHeal

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you. In a short amount of time, our blog for “Together We Heal” has already had over 5,700 views from 75 countries. Let me say that again, 75 countries!! While to some these numbers may not mean a lot or even be as impressive as those who get 1K – 5K readers a day or week, to us they are AMAZING!

We’ve been blogging for 7 months and our first 2 we averaged about 250 per. Then from Dec-Feb we saw about 400-500 per. Then came March and April. We hit over 1,000 and then toppled 2,000 respectively. Already we are on a pace to hit Somewhere around 2,700!!! Please understand that I’m giving you this information for one reason and one reason only….to say THANK YOU for getting the message out and telling folks where they can come to find a safe forum for survivors of CSA, get free counseling if needed, learn how to begin the process of healing and not the least being, how to better protect our children from these sexual predators and expose their methods! We are only able to do any of these things because of YOU and how much you care. Accept my heartfelt and sincere gratitude for being a part of this movement to help.

And these numbers are also amazing because they tell us that what we are writing, what we are sharing, and what we are hoping to send out to help survivors of CSA to begin and continue their healing process; to help educate the public on matters of CSA; and how we can better protect our children has an audience that reaches around the globe!

It tells us that what we have to say is important to you and I want all of you to know just how much you are appreciated, respected and prayed for daily. As we move forward, day by day, we get more calls and emails asking for help. And it’s because you get the word out. You are letting survivors of CSA know they have a place to come that’s safe, that provides counseling and is here solely for the purpose of helping others.

If ever there are issues, questions or topics that you feel need covering, please don’t hesitate to call or email us and ask. Like I said, we are here to help, and while I try to stay on top of things, I know I don’t know it all…far from it. But I do know that we have amazing folks reading the blog who are compassionate, caring and want to help as well. So please tell us when there’s something we need to address in order to maintain a high level of knowledge, an empathetic and sympathetic understanding of your needs and most importantly…that you know we genuinely care about each and every one of you.

Whether you are a survivor, the loved one of someone whose endured CSA, or a concerned parent wanting to know what they can do to better ensure the safety of their child; we are here for you, all of you. As I said, I know I don’t have all the answers, but what we have in spades as an organization, is a group of people devoted and determined to do whatever they can to achieve all of the aforementioned goals.

That’s why we give out our emails, phone numbers, blog and twitter sites, and tell you about the other groups out there with the same ambition as ours. Those being; to guide survivors in the best way we can for each individual, and to do our damnedest to put an end to CSA.

So I will end I as began…

…thank you, thank you all so very much from the bottom of my heart!

David Pittman

togetherweheal.wordpress.com

togetherweheal@ymail.com

754-234-7975

http://www.facebook.com/groups/Togetherweheal/
http://www.causes.com/causes/640477-together-we-heal

@Together_WeHeal

Beat Bullying - Ayden’s Law - Help us make a difference! #AydensLaw @AydensLaw

Ayden’s Law

 What is Ayden’s Law? 

On 14 March 2013, 14 year old Ayden Olson took his own life. He’d been bullied to death. Tragically, Ayden’s name is only the latest to be added to a growing list. But while the victims themselves may have found peace, their families are left behind, scarred forever by the agony of losing a child.

Ayden’s Law is a campaign on behalf of all those young people, their families and any child or young person being bullied today.

BeatBullying, The Sun, and families of children like Ayden are calling on the Prime Minister to take action. We want to call a summit with him and relevant ministers to discuss how we can prevent any more tragedies — and the creation of Ayden’s Law, a new children’s anti-bullying bill designed to stop bullying in our society once and for all.

Our letter to the PM

Dear Prime Minister,

You will know that when you become a parent the safety and happiness of your child becomes your number one priority. What is hopefully less familiar is the agony of being unable to help your child in the face of remorseless bullying.

Our families have been irreversibly altered through the loss of a child, whose life was destroyed by bullying. The pain of knowing your child felt so helpless and alone that they saw suicide as their only option is unbearable.

On 17 March, justice campaigner and devoted mother Shy Keenan bravely spoke out in an interview with The Sun about the devastating grief she and her family are experiencing following the death of her son, Ayden Olson. Fourteen year old Ayden died after taking an overdose following a prolonged period of vicious bullying at the hands of a group of pupils at his school.

Despite being aware of the torment Ayden was being subjected to, the school does not appear to have acted in a way that made him feel like he was well supported or being listened to. Ultimately he was left in a position where he felt he had no alternative but to take his own life, just days after he had given Shy a loving Mother’s Day Card.

Nothing can change what has happened to Shy and all our families but we hope we can stop more families suffering in the same way. We are urging you to meet with us in a summit to discuss how such tragedies can be prevented through a new Children’s Anti Bullying Bill. The Bill would introduce a law to protect children who become victims of cruel and relentless bullying.

The campaign for Ayden’s Law marks a watershed moment in the anti bullying movement in this country. AYDEN’S LAW DEMANDS:

1. justice for victims - by introducing for the first time into criminal law a new summary offence of bullying and intimidation which would prohibit behaviour that causes physical and mental harm to another child, teacher, professional or member of the public
2. community protection - by providing compulsory training for social workers so that they have the skill and confidence to:
   • provide much needed support to victims and their families
   • work with perpetrators to address their bullying behaviour
   • support their local schools and community in tackling bullying
3. family intervention - through a compulsory support programme aimed at parents that have a child that persistently bullies and intimidates others in school and the wider community
4. Government leadership - a statutory requirement for Government to publish ‘A Children and Young People’s Annual Anti Bullying Strategy for the UK’ and for the Prime Minister to report progress to Parliament annually
   The strategy to include:
   • clear roles and responsibilities for Government, local Government, communities, schools and internet providers
   • fully costed measures that enable schools, local authorities and the Voluntary and Community Sector to take forward the strategy
   • indicators to measure improvement

42% of secondary school children in this country have experienced some form of bullying. It may start offline but is often then followed in the online environment, leaving them with no escape. Whilst some of these children will recover from their experience, others, like Ayden, won’t. For our families and the brothers and sisters of those we’ve lost, nothing can be the same again.

On behalf of all children who have experienced bullying, and their families, we are calling on you and your Government to take action to help prevent more people suffering in this way. Together we can stop bullying in our society. Please give us your support and meet with us to discuss how we make bullying unacceptable, once and for all.

Yours sincerely,

Shy Keenan, mother of Ayden (14) Peter and Denise Dimmick, parents of Gemma (15) Michelle Maddox and Susan Morriss, mother and grandmother of Joshua (15) Kelly Dugmore and Paul Jones, parents of Aaron (9) Paul and Caroline Vodden, parents of Ben Vodden (11) Steve and Marie Kirkham, mother of Hannah (18) Robert and Tracy Mullaney, parents of Tom Mullaney (15) Andrew MacBryde, father of Natasha (15) Sandra Thompson, mother of Thomas (11) Hayley Heffernan, family of Megan Gillan(15)

co signed by: Emma-Jane Cross, CEO and Founder of BeatBullying Victoria Newton, Editor of The Sun on Sunday Sara Payne, Sun Justice campaigner

READ MORE HERE