Since summer 2000, S:VOX (in its embryonic form) has run a programme of support for survivors of abuse of any kind and seminars and workshops to educate the wider community about abuse and recovery. Greenbelt is a Christian Arts Festival, though it is important to say that S:VOX exists for people of any faith or none. For more information about Greenbelt, visit their site at www.greenbelt.org.uk. There is a page on their website specifically about S:VOX at the Greenbelt website

2010 S:VOX will be holding two self-help sessions for survivors adn their supporters at greenbelt this year:

* Friday, 19:00, Soverign Lounge (Talks)
* Saturday, 20:00, Soverign Lounge (Talks)

We will also be having informal gatherings on site twice a day, these will be advertised on the website, and on our Facebook page and Twitter.

Hope to see you there!

For more info please see the Greenbelt programme and website or contact us by email.

What happened in 2008: We held two group sessions - Friday night was our usual closed group for survivors only. Sunday night was an open workshop The Art of Depression on using creative tools to express and deal with overwhelming feelings Led by our favourite author Sue Atkinson & friends from S:VOX. In an exciting new addition to our programme, throughout the festival we will ran the Survivors Voices Art installation! Greenbelters of all ages helped us build a community mosaic representing the transformation from darkness to dawn. Designed by mosaic artist and S:VOX trustee Concetta Perot, the mosaic entitled 'We Will Rise' has since been sold for S:VOX funds. Jane and SVOX Team GB

The S:VOX survivors programme for Greenbelt 2007 included:

Support groups for abuse survivors

These groups are only for people who have experienced abuse: sexual, emotional, physical or spiritual, as a child or adult. We come together to share our experiences, recognising that we are all at different places in our journey. All are welcome to come along at any time, to share or just listen and "be". There were two group sessions over the weekend: Saturday and Monday evenings at 7.30pm in Hatton's Grace.

Open workshop on abuse issues

As part of the talks programme, S:VOX joined with NAPAC to lead a workshop: From trauma to transformation: What helps survivors to journey beyond the trauma and suffering and discover a sense of wholeness and of 'heaven' in their daily lives? How can these insights help all of us move beyond the traumatic in our lives and discover heaven in the ordinary? We were involved in leading an interactive workshop using art, discussion and our experience to explore tools for transformation. The workshop was at 10.30am on Monday in the Festival suite. At the Greenbelt workshop this year we collected ideas to complete the phrase Heaven is… See what we have already collected and please add your comments here

Informal gatherings

There were also some informal meet-ups on site for tea and chit chat. We see mutual support in the struggles and joys of daily life as core to S:VOX and the self-help model.

Recordings of Greenbelt seminars

In the last 5 years, a library of seminar recordings on issues of abuse and related subjects has been developed through our work at greenbelt. These include seminars on topics such as: Tree of life, tree of death— Jane Chevous and Concetta Perot - Home is where the hurt is - Helping without hurting - Eating disorders and self harm - Pastoral & therapeutic abuse Abuse: exploding the myth Healing the wounds of trauma These can be obtained through the greenbelt website, or click on the SVOX briefing sheets & resources page for links that will take you straight to the page where you can order them.