“Faith is why I…

“Faith is why I’m here today and faith is why I made it through.”

-Jonathan Anthony Burkett

We can’t go through life thinking that if we’ve been let down before, it will continue. No Longer Silenced Movement is a way to remind those who have been abused of this. You should never lose faith in yourself. You have to have faith that you can overcome anything. It’ okay to lose your way sometimes…we all do that…but just remember that you survived from abuse, you will get through everything. Whenever we attempt to accomplish a goal, we come across road blocks. While we’re at these road blocks alls we can see is how many more road blocks we need to make it through, how much more time it’ll take, how much more work it’ll take, but we rarely look back and consider our progress. Very few times do we take a minute to think of all of the roadblocks we’ve already overcome…very few times do we look back and see how much work we’ve already done and how much we’ve already accomplished. You have to be able to remember all that you’ve done, if you’ve taken even one step in the right direction…you’ve done something great! You can achieve your goal if you keep doing everything you’ve done to make the first step. If you take the first step to get help, or talk to people who were also abused, you’ve accomplished something big. You’ve taken a huge step to help yourself…keep going in the right direction and never lose faith.

“Confront the d…

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.”

-August Wilson

We can’t erase our past, no matter how much we try. We’ve all experienced pain, some more than others, and we will forever carry that with us. What we do have the chance to decide is if our past will be what weighs us down and holds us back…or if it will be the fire behind our motivation. It’s hard to have experiences that our so painful that we want to give up on ourselves, because these things have discouraged us so much…but the empowerment we receive by letting it drive us, and use it to wake up everyday and work hard, to make our lives the light at the end of the tunnel, and ensure this pain doesn’t occur to others, is immeasurable. Never let pain define you, because it could be what makes your life incredible, and can be the one thing that makes you the person that helps others. Wisdom from experience is one of the strongest characteristics we can have, and there’s nothing you cannot overcome.

“In the United …

“In the United States today, there is a pervasive tendency to treat children as adults, and adults as children. The options of children are thus steadily expanded, while those of adults are progressively constricted. The result is unruly children and childish adults.”

-Thomas Szasz

Every Child deserves to have a childhood. When a child is abused, they’re robbed of that chance. Every child is innocent, and should be careless, and have fun, have an imagination, and dream like a kid is supposed to. We don’t realize that every action we display to a child has an affect on how they’ll grow. The most misbehaved of children, are the ones who need love the most, not the most punishment, and then they will grow into loving and caring adults. Love, motivate, and inspire your children and you’ll be forever grateful of the beauty they’ll give off to the world. They won’t be perfect, but that’s okay, because they’re children. Never forget to let them enjoy being children.

The best philan…

The best philanthropy is constantly in search of the finalities—a search for a cause, an attempt to cure evils at their source.

-John D. Rockefeller

April is Child Abuse Awareness month. Most people that aren’t fighting for this cause don’t know how huge this epidemic actually is. Everybody is busy. Everybody is a student/paraprofessional/athlete/philanthropist, nobody has a bunch of extra free time anymore….but to help a cause so great as making children feel safe with the people that are supposed to love and nurture them is beautiful beyond measure, and takes so little time to at least start.

 

Spread Awareness: Share No Long Silenced Movements blog, or current statistics.

Fund-raise: Buy a box of pinwheels from prevent child abuse america, participate in a walk, donate money to Nolo, there are endless ways to produce funds.

Become More Involved: Educate yourself, volunteer at a nearby organization such as a CASA chapter, and make a difference in a survivors life.

 

There are many ways to help, and everyone is capable of them. There is nothing greater than doing good for a child that will change your life simply by being around you. You can help.

“You will find …

“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles.”

-C. Joybell C.

Life after abuse doesn’t make pain go away. There’s always questions about why a person did this, why it happened to you, why are you still experiencing emotional pain…The truth is the emotional aspects of a traumatic childhood never go away, but in order to move on, we must lose our sense of revenge and hatred.

It’s such a difficult thing to do, to let go of such awful abuse, but it’s how we can better our lives. The greatest thing you can do for yourself, is tell yourself every day, to a mirror, in a journal, in your head before you go to sleep “It’s not my fault, I did nothing wrong, I will accomplish my dreams by working hard, and overcoming my past”.

Always love yourself, more than you hate somebody else, don’t let the term “disadvantaged youth” control your life…show the world you can do it, no matter the obstacles you’ll need to overcome on the way.

“You may never …

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result”

-Mahatma Gandhi

“Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.”

-Desiderius Erasmus

Breaking silence about abuse is difficult, but no positive change will come from holding it in. If it’s happened, it’s worth reporting, it’s worth your voice and story, and it’s worth the good that can come from your experiences by sharing them with others, potentially helping one or many strangers, and inspiring them to use their voice.

 

Shining light on your first steps to stopping your abuse can disintegrate pain, and the more people you help, the more the light will outshine the dark.

Child Abuse Cas…

Child Abuse Casts a shadow that lasts a lifetime.

-Herbert Ward

Traumatic experiences can often lead to negative outcomes, and when emotional pain is unbearable, it’s difficult to not give up on yourself and the beautiful life you deserve. There’s a way to come out positive, to remember what you deserve, and to prove everyone wrong that ever put you down. Disadvantaged youth from child abuse that remain positive are said to be Resiliant. Resilience is said to be caused from intelligence, positive influences, a big sense of humor, and the capability to be independent. Never let the odds being against you make you give up, prove yourself and the World wrong and there’s no measure in what a disadvantaged youth can become. It’s incredible to survive a life with so much struggle, and flourish in the difficulty.

***Research from childwelfare.gov

“The reward for…

“The reward for work well done, is the opportunity to do more” Dr. Jonas Edward Salk

Dr. Jonas Edward Salk, the creator of the polio vaccine, selflessly donated the vaccine to children in need, and fought for their rights when in testing the vaccine, they sought to have a control group, which would mean a group of children would not get the experimental vaccine. 

 

He fought for the rights and good health of children he never met…he had children of his own, however none with the dreadful disease, but still dedicated his hours in the lab to save the children that were infected.

 

Growing up, I’ve witnessed many adults conflicted with how to go about helping someone in a troublesome situation, and sadly many who have questioned how they themselves would benefit by providing aid to children in need.

 

“Child Abuse casts a shadow that lasts a lifetime” -Herbert Ward, we help those in need, not expecting something in return, but to know it is worth it, to help get children away from dangers that last a lifetime. Nicolette Winn, the founder of the No Longer Silenced Movement, works diligently and passionately towards saving children from abuse, knowing what it could do to someone, and the lasting affects that survivors endure each day. There are many ways a person can help, donating funds or time, and promoting awareness which can be as easy as talking about it and researching how drastic child abuse is in our nation. Help because you can, because any little bit helps, and gives you the chance to do more and helping even more people with each ounce of effort you continue to put in this cause.