Hope Project Newsletter

Special Edition COVID-19 Newsletter

4/21/2020

Hope Project is still here for you...From Home

This is a difficult time for a lot of people. We here at Hope Project wanted
to do a special outreach newsletter to let you know we are still here for you, even
during the Stay at Home order. We are offering video appointments, phone calls,
and other distance communication services. We are virtually here.
Some of these restrictions might bring up some feelings of being trapped,
isolated, and alone. Even if you’ve never spoken to an advocate before, we are
here to talk, listen and support. Our services are 100% confidential and free.

If you are in a dangerous situation or know someone
who is...There IS Help

For some people staying home does not mean staying safe. This can include
people whose perpetrators live within their homes. If you or someone you know
is struggling to find safety, there is help. Advocates, investigators, police, social
workers, and others involved in helping people find safety are still working. You
don’t have to be afraid to ask for help. We are all here to support.

For adults who might need support or help to find services:
➢ Emergency Support Shelter: Domestic Violence Support 360-425-1176
➢ Hope Project: Sexual Assault Advocacy 360-703-3762
For children that you are concerned about their safety:
➢ Division of Child Youth and Family Reporting Line: 1-866-764-2233

#WFH Challenges

If you have found yourself among the millions of people worldwide who are
working from home or laid off, there are a few things that you can do to help
keep yourself mentally healthy, as well as productive.

★ Create a routine for yourself - So you don’t need to leave at a certain time
to get to work on time, but creating a time to adjust from one mental state
to another can go a long way in aiding mental health.
★ Limit information intake - Turn off the news/social media. Give yourself
the time and space to focus.
★ Maintain healthy practices - It might be difficult to take that 15-minute
walk at lunch that you were going on with your office mate now that you’re
home. It is important to try to continue to do the little things that you did
for yourself prior to this adjustment.

Hope Project’s Community Outreach

Hope Project is still offering community outreach through virtual meetings. We
can do presentations for your staff and facilitate online outreach for you or your
clients. Please feel free to contact us for more information!

360-703-3762 M-F 9 am to 5 pm
360-425-1176 After hours/Weekends

Connect With Hope Project

Facebook and Instagram:
@Hopeproject42
Find, Follow and Share!!

Volunteering
Learn how you can make a difference!
Hope Project volunteers support survivors at the hospital or support advocates
at the office with preparing for hospital calls and getting ready for groups and
presentations. Email mayam@esshelter.com for more information or call 360-703-3762 ext. 17.

Outreach
Hope Project also provides free presentations on sexual violence awareness and
Hope Project program information to schools, businesses, churches, and other
organizations.
Email deborahi@esshelter.com or call 360-703-3762 ext. 16.

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Winter 2019 Newsletter

2/10/2020

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Well, for some people. Most people don’t typically associate the word trauma with the holiday season, but it is not uncommon for the holidays to be some of the most challenging times of the year for many people. It can be a time when strained family relations comes back up to the forefront of people's minds. It can be things from the past that remind the person of a traumatic time or event. On top of that, the expectation and cultural image of it being the most wonderful time of the year can make it even more difficult.

But we are not here to dampen anyone’s holiday spirit, rather, ask that everyone practice grace and forgiveness. That can be with other people or with yourself. During a time that may be your very favorite time of the year, be aware that some people may struggle, and that is okay too. Offer support to loved ones you notice who seem to be less moved by the holiday spirit. People experience things differently, and something that is not traumatic to one person may be traumatic to another. We all have a right to feel the way we feel, and allowing people safe space to feel is so important in their healing journey.

These are some helpful tips from STEPS (Stress and Trauma Evaluation and Psychological Services) for helping survive the holiday season (the rest of the article can be found here):

-Set Boundaries
-Practice Self Care
-Limit social media
-Focus on the things you can control
-Be aware of the things that make you anxious, and plan accordingly
-Stop trying to live up to someone else's perfect

Sometimes the most powerful thing that a person can do during times of high stress is to say no. Maybe this year, there is one less cookie exchange, or this year, instead of going to a stressful family event, you choose to stay home and watch your favorite movie in your pajamas. If that is what is best for you, you have the right to take care of yourself. If you need some help unwinding at the end of a busy day, we are including a link to peaceful piano music and outdoor scenery for you to enjoy. Here at the Hope Project, we hope your holiday season is merry and bright, and if it isn’t, that’s okay too. We hope everyone is able to find peace and joy, however that may look for you.

Hope Project Holiday Hours: We will have some upcoming holiday closures. We will be closed Christmas Day, New Years Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day (January 20th) and Presidents Day (Feb 17th.) We will be open 9-5 on both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

For some additional resources about taking care of yourself during the holidays,
check out these articles:

How to Keep Calm and Carry on During the Holidays
https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-to-keep-calm-and-carry-on-during-the-holidays/

A Holiday Guide for Abuse Survivors
https://psychcentral.com/blog/a-holiday-guide-for-abuse-survivors/

Strategies for Survivors This Holiday Season
https://www.rainn.org/news/strategies-survivors-holiday-season

A Guide to Surviving the Holiday Season: Tips for Managing Sadness
and Stress when Everyone (else) Seems Happy
https://traumaprofessionals.com/a-guide-to-surviving-the-holiday
season-tips-for-managing-sadness-and-stress-when-everyone-else-seems-happy/

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Groups!
If you are a survivor, we offer three support groups a month. The first Thursday is a self-care group for survivors over the age of 18. There is an additional drop-in support group for adults on the third Thursday of the month. The fourth Thursdays are drop-in groups for teen survivors and parents of survivors of any age. All of the groups start at 5:30 pm. For more information, please contact Jessenia at jesseniap@esshelter.com or call 360-703-3762 ext. 10

Volunteering
Learn how you can make a difference!
Hope Project volunteers support survivors at the hospital or support advocates at the office with preparing for hospital calls and getting ready for groups and presentations
Email mayam@esshelter.com for more information or call 360-703-3762 ext. 17.

Outreach
Hope Project also provides free presentations on sexual violence awareness and Hope Project program information to schools, businesses, churches, and other organizations.

Email Calebl@esshelter.com or call 360-703-3762 ext. 16.

Connect With Hope Project!
Facebook and Instagram:
@Hopeproject42
Find, Follow and Share!!

360-703-3762 M-F 9 am to 5 pm
360-425-1176 After hours/Weekends

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Fall 2019 Newsletter

10/29/2019

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We Believe You
Netflix has recently come out with a new series called “Unbelievable” based on actual events. It explores two very different reactions to two women who were assaulted. While this can be an incredibly difficult series to watch, the message behind it is very clear. It is critical that survivors are believed and heard. Often times, just the simple words, “I believe you” can have a lasting impact on the survivor. While many survivors who do go forward may never see their day in court, even more survivors never go forward due to fear of lack of justice.

This link is a 2-minute preview of the series. Please be forewarned of possible triggers.

So much goes into demonstrating that you believe someone. It’s more than just stating that you believe their story. It also includes validating their experience. This includes rejecting victim-blaming (“Well, what were you wearing?” “Were you drinking alone?” “How many dates had you been on with him?” or “Why can’t you remember more?”). Offering to help someone find the support they are looking for it, so they know they don’t have to do it alone, can be a major help. Many survivors don’t want to face the legal system alone, but a friend only has so much information. When you share local resources, you are offering them support with no bias. By supporting survivors, we are able to shift the culture towards safety.

#SAFEChallenge

Hope Project is excited to announce our newest community project! #SAFEChallenge is a community-based effort to ensure that our community is SAFE (Sexual Assault Free Environment). By partnering with local establishments, we are offering training so that people who serve alcohol are able to spot the difference between drugged and drunk and offer help to a person who might need intervention. Once the staff has completed the training, we will supply them with free drink testers. These Drinksafe testers give the patrons the ability to test their drinks for the presence of GHB or Ketamine, two very commonly used drugs in sexual assault.

For the customers, they will know when they see a #SAFEChallenge sticker in the window, that location is a SAFE participant. Hope Project, to increase awareness, will be holding monthly drawings for participants who tag themselves, Hope Project (@Hopeproject42) #SAFEChallenge, and the location they are at. The business then gets free social media promotion from Hope Project for the next month.

If you are out in the Longview/Kelso area and you don’t see a #SAFEChallenge sticker in the window of a place that serves alcohol, please ask the staff to contact us! We would love to be in every establishment in our area and beyond.

What’s New at Hope Project?

Groups!
If you are a survivor, we offer three support groups a month. The first Thursday is a self-care group for survivors over the age of 18. There is an additional drop-in support group for adults on the third Thursday of the month. The fourth Thursdays are drop-in groups for teen survivors and parents of survivors of any age. All of the groups start at 5:30 pm.

For more information, please contact Jessenia at jesseniap@esshelter.com or call 360-703-3762 ext. 10
360-703-3762 M-F 9 am to 5 pm
360-425-1176 After hours/Weekends

Connect With Hope Project

Facebook and Instagram:
@Hopeproject42
Find, Follow and Share!!
Volunteering
Learn how you can make a difference!
Hope Project volunteers support survivors at the hospital or support advocates at the office with preparing for hospital calls and getting ready for groups and presentations
Email mayam@esshelter.com for more information or call 360-703-3762 ext. 17.
Outreach
Hope Project also provides free presentations on sexual violence awareness and Hope Project program information to schools, businesses, churches, and other organizations.
Email Calebl@esshelter.com or call 360-703-3762 ext. 16.

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June Newsletter

6/3/2019

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June is Pride Month!

Hope Project is excited to celebrate Pride month with everyone in the LGBTQI+ community! We are doing another drawing this month, so look for the hidden word “pride” in this newsletter. You will find it out of place in a sentence! When you find it, respond to this email with the complete sentence that you found the hidden word in and you will be entered! The drawing will be done June 25th!

Sexual Assault and the LGBTQI+ Community

Sexual assault affects people of all ages, races, sexual orientations, and identities. Statistics for sexual assault for members of the LGBTQI+ community are much higher than other demographics. According to the CDC, 44% of lesbians and 61% of bisexual women have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner. 26% of gay men and 37% of bisexual men have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner. For transgender people, the statistic is even higher. 47% of survey respondents have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime. While these statistics are staggering, it is important to remember that there are often many barriers for people from this community to find support and help. One way that we can help to fight against these barriers is by making sure that we create safe spaces for survivors of all kinds.

Being an Active Ally!

One way to support survivors of the LGBTQI+ community is to take notice and be an ally. For some helpful ideas on how exactly to be an ally, check out this video. For more resources, check out this link to UCLA’s LGBTQ 101 and ally resources page. Being aware of the fact that sexual assault affects all of us, as humans, is an important role. #UsToo is a branch of the #MeToo movement, bringing awareness to pride sexual assault in the LGBTQI+ community.

Gender identity is not determined by your trauma
Gender expression is not determined by your trauma
Sexual orientation is not determined by your trauma
We Believe You.
All Are Welcome Here.
Click here for The Gender Unicorn visual for better understanding of the difference between gender identity, gender expression, sex, and sexual orientation!

What’s New at Hope Project?

New Community Education Classes!

If you’ve ever wanted to volunteer with Hope Project, please check out the updated website to find out when the required classes start.

Connect with Hope Project! Check out our social media pages to see all of our up-to-date events and groups.

Volunteering

Hope Project volunteers support survivors by responding to calls from the hospital when someone goes to the emergency department and reports a sexual assault. They support the survivor through a SANE exam and ongoing advocacy for the survivor during the reporting process, should they choose to report the sexual assault. They also support advocates at our offices by preparing for hospital calls, support groups, community presentations, and a variety of other tasks.
Email mayam@esshelter.com for more information or call 360-703-3762 ext. 13.

Outreach

Hope Project also provides free presentations on sexual violence awareness and Hope Project program information to schools, businesses, churches, and other organizations.
Email calebl@esshelter.com or call 360-703-3762 ext. 16.

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May Newsletter

5/17/2019

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health America is celebrating 70 years of Mental Health Awareness Month! 43.8 million adults experience mental illness in a given year (nami.org). Mental illness without treatment can have a variety of traumatic consequences such as addiction, homelessness, and incarceration. MHA’s 2018 theme was 4Mind4Body and this year they are expanding the theme and the tool kit with new materials and resources to create a recovery tool kit that can assist anyone seeking information or support around mental health.

Click here to download the tool kit

Sexual Assault and Mental Health

Experiencing sexual assault can have a severe impact on an individual's mental health. A survivor may experience triggers or flashbacks of the assault. Often after an assault, feelings of guilt and shame may be present. Remind the survivor that sexual assault is never their fault. Remember to validate each survivor’s emotions and experience. Allowing them to share what they would like to when they are comfortable doing so can help create a sense of safety and security. Each survivor's story is unique, as are their experiences and reactions after a sexual assault has occurred. It is important to keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way for an individual to process their emotions. Hope Project advocates are available to be present and support anyone who is processing traumatic memories or emotions from a sexual assault.

If you are a survivor wondering how you can improve your mental health on a day-to-day basis MHA also has some wonderful articles about incorporating small things into our daily lives, like humor. Humor is a small yet extremely beneficial strategy when looking for ways to deal with difficult experiences. Check out this image below to see a sample of their work. It explains how to use humor to reduce stress hormones and the potential benefits of doing so.

You can click the link to check out their website.

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/4mind4body-humor

Hope Project Self-care Tip

Taking care of our personal needs allows us to be more diligent and efficient in every aspect of our lives. Remember to take time to assess how you are doing! Are you taking time to love and take care of yourself? Honoring mental health awareness month not just for those around us, but for ourselves as well is very important. Check out this work-life balance piece from Mental Health America to learn more about managing our workload along with all of life’s stressors.

Connect with Hope Project

Check out our social media pages to see all of our up-to-date events and groups.
Follow us on Instagram @hopeproject42
Like us on Facebook @hopeproject42

Volunteering

Outreach

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April 2019

4/30/2019

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April showers bring May flowers, but it also brings Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and we could not be more excited! Over here at the Hope Project, our goal is to help raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault year round, but we especially love the month of April! This year’s theme is I Ask. What does that mean? It means that people are committed to asking for consent! Sometimes, it may seem that consent is only talked about in terms of new acquaintances or dates. Consent is important in all relationships, new and old! By asking for consent between partners, it shows a level of respect. Here is a link to our FAVORITE video related to consent!

Hope Project Outreach
The Hope Project is involved in many different community outreaches! We have participated in doing presentations at Lower Columbia College and at the local high schools about healthy relationships, and we work with local business to provide education about our program as well other topics such as consent.

This month we are going big! We have been working with local bars in what we are calling the SAFE (Sexual Assault Free Environment) Challenge. Approximately 50% of sexual assaults involve some alcohol consumption (either by perpetrator or the victim). That, coupled with the possibility of drugged drinks, can make bars feel like an unsafe place. Many of our local bars are committing to become safer places for patrons. We are providing a training to the participating bars about how to identify if somebody is at risk of sexual assault, as well as helping them enact policies that can ensure a safer environment!

We are also having our 4th annual Hops for Hope event! On April 19th, we are going to be at Ashtown Brewing Co. helping raise awareness about Sexual Assault! Ashtown has agreed to donate $1 from every beer served between 5pm and 9pm to our program! We will also have Hope Project beer glasses for sale! There will be live music and fun, and we hope you will come out and join us! It will be a great time!

Social Media
To go along with our SAFE Challenge, we are inviting you to be involved! If you go out to any of the participating bars, make sure you take a pic and post #SAFEchallenge and post it on Facebook or Instagram. We are going to pick a winner at the end of the month from everyone who has participated for a prize!

We are also doing a 30 day Instagram challenge celebrating Sexual Assault Awareness Month! Every day for the month of April we will be posting! Check us out on social media if you haven’t already!

Connect With Hope Project
Facebook and Instagram:
@Hopeproject42
Find, Follow and Share!!

Volunteering
Learn how you can make a difference!
Hope Project volunteers support survivors at the hospital or support advocates at the office with preparing for hospital calls and getting ready for groups and presentations
Email mayam@esshelter.com for more information or call 360-703-3762 ext. 17.

Outreach
Hope Project also provides free presentations on sexual violence awareness and Hope Project program information to schools, businesses, churches, and other organizations.
Email Calebl@esshelter.com or call 360-703-3762 ext. 16.

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Special Edition COVID-19 Newsletter

Hope Project is still here for you...From Home​

​If you are in a dangerous situation or know someonewho is...There IS Help​

​#WFH Challenges

Hope Project’s Community Outreach

Connect With Hope Project

Winter 2019 Newsletter

Fall 2019 Newsletter

#SAFEChallenge

​What’s New at Hope Project?

Connect With Hope Project

June Newsletter

June is Pride Month!

Sexual Assault and the LGBTQI+ Community

Being an Active Ally!

What’s New at Hope Project?

Volunteering

Outreach

May Newsletter

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Sexual Assault and Mental Health

Hope Project Self-care Tip

Connect with Hope Project

Volunteering

Outreach

April 2019

Archives

Hope Project is still here for you...From Home

If you are in a dangerous situation or know someone
who is...There IS Help

#WFH Challenges

What’s New at Hope Project?