Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited
had the courage and leadership vision to bring "Reaching
Out" to Canadian communities. An award-winning
National 13 city, Coast to Coast tour in the fall
of 1999 provided on-site information, displays and
education, and a media reach of more than 20 million.
We wish to greatly thank all the
Cambridge staff from across Canada who made extraordinary
contributions to the quality and effectiveness.
Shirley Mesbur
Director, National Marketing
Asset Management Group
Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited
Lorne Braithewaite had the
leadership courage and vision
to sponsor the first national
tour of the Child Abuse
Survivor Monument Project
art and educational exhibitions.
In Atlanta at the ICSC 2000 Fall Convention,
Cambridge won a Maxi Merit Award for the "Give
Us A Hand Tour" in Community Service, in
the Company or joint Centre category. In early
October, again in the same category, Cambridge
won a coveted Maple Leaf Award in the Canadian
competition.
Dr. Irving presents Lorne Braithwaite with a gift from
Ken Dryden of a collector's photos from the last calendar
at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Devonshire Mall, Ontario
The Situation Child abuse and shopping centres;
it's hard to imagine them in the same breath. Shopping
centres are today's town squares. Child abuse, one
of society's darkest secrets, is a deeply disturbing
reality of our time. It is not always recognized
by the public or in the media and given the magnitude
of the problem, it receives surprisingly little
exposure.
The numbers are staggering. In 1997, Statistics
Canada reported that 62% of the sexual assaults
- 19,000 were on children under 18 years of age;
two thirds were under 12. In 1995, the Gallup Organization
stated that more than 90% of child abuse cases are
unreported, and that number still stands five years
later. Happily, there are steps being taken to move
the issue into the public arena and assist the survivors
of child abuse.
At the time of the Cambridge
Tour the Monument Project was reviewing several
sites in downtown for the "Reaching Out"
Monument.
By
1998, the project was
still largely unknown to
members of the general public.
Displays included panels with
art, poetry, inspirational
messages, information on child
abuse and the Project's sponsors.
In shopping centres across
Canada the display art work
and poetry provided a natural
means to talk about "such a
sensitive topic".
Speaking out against the silence at South Centre
Mall, Calgary, Alberta
Many people found the exhibits
to be an opportunity for quite
reflection.
Normalizing an issue that
is
stigmatized in our society --
Southcentre logo on a
handprint message: "Love conquers
all!
Don't be afraid to tell
someone about your
experience." Joanie
Opening the door for
interaction, education and
help -- A handprint message:
"It is not an easy thing to live.
Lets work together to stop
ABUSE! Kimberley
Over 3,200 handprints were
collected at the 12 exhibits.
Hockey legend Lanny McDonald contributes a HandPrint
to change the face of child abuse in Canada at South
Centre Mall in Calgary, Alberta
Each centre's internal
communication was unique, with art for our sample
Press Kit used to customize merchant communications,
signage and door stickers.
At Cambridge Mall child abuse art display in Windsor,
Ontario Fred Beven informs that 90 percent of abuse
is not reported to a Children's Aid Society.
Canadian Red Cross and Burlington, Ontario are part
of Cambridge Tour
Introduction Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited,
was introduced to the issue through The Child Abuse
Survivor Monument Project and psychotherapist and
sculptor Dr. Michael Irving. Ken and Linda Dryden
arranged for their friend, Lorne Braithwaite, President
of Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited, to visit
the Monument studio.
On a follow up visit to Michael
Irving's studio, Cambridge executives and management
learned about his work and the unique challenges
his organization faces. Their vision was to build
a gigantic bronze sculpture dedicated to survivors
of child abuse. Located on a site in Toronto,
Ontario, "Reaching Out" would consist
of 276 bronze sculptured squares, created in therapy
sessions with survivors of child abuse from across
Canada, on two large bronze figures. Inside the
hollow Monument figures would be space for public
participation through handprints and messages
of hope. Since 1996 the "Child Abuse Survivor
Monument Project" had worked to establish
credibility for its mission and the sculpture.
Various levels of government, a few politicians
and of course, social action and survivor support
groups had taken notice. However, by 1998, the
project was still largely unknown to members of
the general public.
An Offer
of Support lt was important present the
issue and exhibit in a positive way. Like many public
venues, Cambridge Shopping Centres strive to make
their centres pleasant, happy places to visit and
clearly, this topic was neither. Though Dr. Irving's
sculpture is an uplifting and joyous salute to survivors
of child abuse, Cambridge executives wondered if
it was suitable for a shopping centre environment.
Would their Centre Management share the "vision"
and buy-in to this opportunity to make a positive
contribution? How would their retailers respond?
Would their shoppers, with their diverse demographic,
psychographic and ethnic groups, welcome or shun
a mall display dedicated to such a sensitive topic?
If they were to communicate to the public at large,
they would have to involve the media. How would
the media respond to a very public presentation
on child abuse in a shopping centre?
As well, Cambridge's experience
in mounting travelling exhibits showed that they
were extremely costly to execute and very time-consuming
to co-ordinate. Cambridge had no available staff
to supervise and execute the detailed logistics.
They knew that their centres, with shrinking Marketing
budgets, would not be able to fund such an ambitious
national tour.
Given the topic, all aspects of
the presentation had to be very well done and
very professional. Otherwise, it had the potential
to turn into a public relations nightmare. But
Cambridge executives believed that their company
could make an important and groundbreaking contribution,
if their Centres could rise to these challenges.
1. Normalize an issue that is
stigmatized in our society by bringing Child Abuse
and its survivors to the attention of large numbers
of people.
2. Work with the Child Abuse Survivor Monument Project
to plan and design a mall display suitable for exhibition
in all Cambridge Shopping Centres.
3. Create awareness about the "Reaching Out"
sculpture and The Child Abuse Survivor Monument
Project by coordinating a national tour of 13 Cambridge
Shopping Centres.
4. Obtain sponsorship, partners and in-kind donations
to defray expenses relating to the tour.
5. Generate $5,000 in donations for the Child Abuse
Survivor Monument Project itself.
6. Gather 2,000 personal handprints and messages
of hope to eventually be sealed inside the Monument.
7. Heighten the profiles of the Centres on the tour
by gaining positive media exposure for the event,
and for the Project.
8. Communicate with actual survivors of child abuse
and open the door for interaction, education and
help.
Plan
and Implementation Courageously and with vision
Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited decided to coordinate
a tour of their Centres and held a series of meetings
with Dr. Irving and his team in the Winter and Spring
of 1999 to establish the tour's mission, content,
design criteria and logistics. October 1999, Child
Abuse Awareness month was the target for the tour.
Because of the sensitive nature of the topic, Cambridge
approached their centres to ask for participation;
13 centres located from Newfoundland to British
Columbia voluntarily agreed to join in. We named
the tour "Give Us a Hand", to draw attention
to the survivors' handprints that formed the framework
for the Monument itself.
We knew that the display must be
of a high quality, so cost was an issue. The Millennium
Bureau of Canada, a government body designed to
give federal funding for worthy projects to mark
the millennium year, agreed to fund 2 exhibits.
Cambridge requested 3 displays to allow a minimum
of 4 days per centre plus travel time. The designers
of the exhibits, "The Portables", donated
the third display. Cambridge worked with Dr. Irving
to ensure that each display was identical, upbeat
and colourful, secure, flexible and easily transportable.
Cambridge agreed to coordinate and pay for the
shipping across Canada and they knew air shipping
would be needed, so the displays and crates had
to be light. Each display would include: bronze
handprint squares and poetry from the Monument;
a space for the public to draw handprints to be
included inside the completed Monument; a secure
place for donations; racks for literature; art
pieces and merchandise for sale, featuring the
memorable "logo" of the Monument itself;
and abundant signage. The displays included a
shipping and assembly manual and specific floor
plans, since each Centre would need a complete
"package".
Survivor Monument staff,
Cambridge staff and volunteers and staff from the
Red Cross Abuse Prevention services work as a team
customize the exhibit and activities to the unique
characteristics of each community and Cambridge
Shopping Centre.
Because the public would
expect credible assistance when they saw the topic,
the exhibits would need to be appropriately staffed.
The Red Cross Abuse Prevention
Services agreed to partner on the tour, providing
staff for the 13 centres for all hours each Centre
was open. They agreed to hold training sessions
for the volunteer staff and have their own professionals
available as well.
To supervise the mall displays,
Dr. Irving along with his wife Cheryl, Cheryl
Irving's family, Al, Gord, and Bill Clint and
Jake Goertzen for Winnipeg agreed to travel with
the 3 exhibits. Al Clint, Cheryl's father, got
all of their travel, hotels and meals donated
for the tour.
Cambridge designed a very
specific travel schedule that included both truck
and air transport and worked with a national firm,
SwiftSure, that delivered the 3 exhibits to locations
across the country on time on a very tight schedule.
Al Clint, a retired senior,
was a sensitive listener at "Reaching Out"
Exhibits across Ontario.
BAYSHORE
MALL OTTAWA
Child Abuse Monument Display at Bayshore
Shopping Centre in Ottawa, Ontario tells
victims they should never be ashamed.
The children from school
in the Ottawa area lined up on three levels of
the Cambridge Mall and buried Dr. Irving under
a mountain of handprint messages.
Cambridge offered
each mall the flexibility to coordinate a "unique"
event. All produced their own merchant communication
and signage but with limited budgets, Cambridge
viewed that that PR would be the most effective
way to reach mass audiences.
Centres received a media kit that
the Child Abuse Survivor Monument Project had
prepared and they could customize it in their
own way. The Child Abuse Survivor Monument Project
had professional PSA's for radio and TV produced
and donated for Centres to use.
To create a media event for the
exhibit openings, some Centres had local schools
attend and do handprints for inclusion in the
Monument; others had guests speak on the Project
and child abuse, like hockey great Ken Dryden
or they invited local mayors, politicians, VIPs
or media personalities to speak.
For each mall display, the public
was invited to review the contents of each panel,
and discuss the issue. Everyone was invited to
make handprints. Merchandise with the Project
logo was sold for fundraising and while donations
were not actively sought, they were accepted.
Information was disseminated and
literature was available from the National Clearing
House on Family Violence, the Red Cross Abuse
Prevention Services, the Child Abuse Survivor
Monument Project and interested agencies in the
region of each Exhibit.
All centres coordinated unique
PR campaigns using the sample
Press Kit prepared for guidelines.
Many used Cambridge labels,
stationery, art, rendering
and handprint sheets.
Winnipeg artist and guitarist
Jake
Goertzen wrote a song dedicated to
the tour and survivors of child abuse;
he sang it at Kiladonan Place.
Moira McGrath, Marketing
Director for Bayshore Shopping Centre
presenting their donation.
1. Normalize an issue that is
stigmatized in our society by bringing Child Abuse
and its survivors to the attention of large numbers
of people. The first major showing of a display
honouring survivors of child abuse was presented
to mass audiences in the common areas of Cambridge
Shopping Centres. Tour supervisors stated that every
day, there were many comments from the public, addressing
the fact that they "never expected to see something
on this topic in a shopping centre!" Overwhelmingly,
comments were favourable, supportive and complimentary;
and many stated that they felt the centre and the
Cambridge organization showed great "courage"
in presenting the display.
2. Cambridge worked with the Child Abuse Survivor
Monument Project to plan and design a mall display
suitable for exhibition in all Cambridge Shopping
Centres. The 3 mall displays were designed specifically
for this tour. They were unique and lightweight
and the shipping containers became a framework for
the actual display units themselves. They were identical,
upbeat and colourful, encouraged open discussion
and interaction and received compliments from the
public.
3. Created awareness about the " Reaching Out"
sculpture and the Child Abuse Survivor Monument
Project by coordinating a national tour of 13 Cambridge
Shopping Centres. From Newfoundland to British Columbia,
the "Give Us A Hand" tour was featured
in 13 of these Centres; according to mall electronic
traffic counters, mall traffic for the 4 day 13
centre presentations reached a total of 913,050
people.
4. Obtained sponsorship, partners and in-kind donations
to defray expenses relating to the tour. The Millennium
Bureau of Canada, The Red Cross Abuse Prevention
Services, the CCAA, the builders of the display
and many other organizations and companies contributed
to the tour. In all, we obtained over $106,000 in
sponsorships, partners' contributions, and in-kind
donations. 4 times greater than Cambridge's actual
costs.
5. Generated $5,000 in funds for the Child Abuse
Survivor Monument Project itself. The public response
was moving; many people asked to contribute, even
though money was not actively solicited. A total
of $5,796 was collected for the Monument Project.
The Project also made money from T-shirts, hats
and vests which they sold to raise additional revenue
for their cause. Cambridge assisted the Project
in this aspect of the fundraising and $4,840 worth
of their merchandise was sold at the displays. In
total the tour raised over $10,600 through sales
and donations.
6. Gathered 2,000 personal handprints and messages
of hope to eventually be sealed inside the Monument.
People of all ages drew their hands, including some
important celebrities and politicians. Ralph Klein,
Premier of Alberta and The Honorable Herb Gray,
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada drew hands, as did
hockey great Ken Dryden. In all, 3,259 handprints
with messages of hope were given to Dr. Irving for
inclusion in the monument exceeding our initial
objective by 63%.
7. Heightened the profiles of the Centres on the
tour by gaining positive media exposure for the
event, and for the Project. Publicity coverage was
significant; the Centres received over 17.05 hours
of radio and TV airtime, reaching in excess of 48.7
million people and 10,182 lines+6.5 pages of print,
reaching 2.5 million readers.
8. Communicated with actual survivors of child abuse
and opened the doors for interaction, education
and help. Best of all, at every mall, people responded;
they learned about this dark topic and actual survivors
came forward to talk about their abuse, many for
the first time. Coordinators reported that at each
mall many people came up and thanked the Centre
Management for having the courage to feature the
display. At one Centre, one child came forward,
reported abuse and the case was passed through The
Red Cross Abuse Prevention Services on to the Children's
Aid Society.
Many handprints were
multicoloured or drawn with
global images in the recognition
by child that this child abuse is
a concern that crosses cultures
and geographic boundaries.
The opportunity to listen
to the
thoughtfulness and passion of
children was a pleasure.
Handprints were displayed
and
their fascinating and important
messages were read by many.
South Centre Mall in Calgary raises awarness on
Child Abuse
Children were proud and
excited that their art work
and messages would be a part
of a permanent Monument.
Carolynn Bennett, MP, along
with many other politicians
and community leaders across
Canada used the Cambridge
Shopping Centre venues for
addressing the public on the
importance of responding to
the concerns of child abuse.
Many stated that they felt the
centre and the Cambridge
organization showed great
"courage" in presenting the display.
Ken Dryden, president of the
Toronto Maple Leafs, lent a hand to a very worthy
cause - the official launch of the "Give
Us A Hand" tour at Upper Canada Mall, Newmarket
Ont. on Sept. 29/99. Dryden was joined in the
campaign, which honoured the survivors of child
abuse, by then Newmarket Regional Councilor Diane
Humeniuk, Aurora Mayor Tim Jones and Dr. Michael
Irving. The display was part of the first national
tour of art from the Child Abuse Survivor Monument
Project and was funded, in part, by the Millennium
Bureau of Canada. Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited,
Upper Canada Mall's parent company, sponsored
the initial Canadian tour that visited 13 centres
from coast to coast. The tour gave the public
an opportunity to see that child abuse can and
should be discussed in an open and healthy manner.
For a small donation, people traced
their handprint and wrote an inspirational message
on 8'x11" sheets of paper that will be included
inside the actual sculpture when it is permanently
positioned at the Air Canada Centre. Donations
and proceeds from the shows were sent via the
Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness to further
the objectives of the Child Abuse Survivor Monument
Project.
Hockey Great Ken Dryden contributes HandPrint to
"Reaching Out Child Abuse Monument"
Ken Dryden and Dr. Irving inform
on the tragedy of childabuse.
The Review, Richmond, B.C., October 6, 1999
Touring Art Exhibit Tackles Child Abuse
An interactive art display that
hopes to bring child abuse out of the shadows
of shame and cast a light on the subject for public
discussion is coming to Lansdowne Park shopping
centre for four days starting on Wednesday, Oct.
6.
Called Give Us a Hand, the display
features a unique mix of hand prints and poetry
created by survivors of child abuse.
The display was created through
a number of workshops held across the country
and hosted by psychotherapist/sculptor Dr. Michael
Irving, founder of the Survivor Monument Project.
The public has the opportunity
to literally lend a hand in the display's development.
For a donation you can trace the outline of your
hand on a piece of paper and include an inspirational
message that will be added to the inside of the
bronze sculpture when it is constructed. Donations
will go to fight child abuse.
Canadian Red Cross volunteers will
be staffing the display to answer questions about
their organization's Abuse Prevention Services.
Metro Town Mall: Ken Clint and the Canadian Red Cross
staffed displays and gathered HandPrints in British
Columbia.
Winnipeg
Free Press, Friday October 8, 1999
No more silence
Give Us a Hand child-abuse
exhibit coordinator Jake Goertzen holds miniature
model of bronze Survivor Monument to be unveiled
in Toronto next October. The display, running
until Sunday at Kildonan Place mall bears a message
that child abuse can be discussed in an open,
healthy manner.
THE
HERALD - Thursday, October 14, 199?
Monument to pay tribute to child abuse survivors
Jake Goertzen holds a replica
of the Survivor Monument, which will be built in
Toronto.
By Catherine Ogloza
Herald Correspondent
Child abuse affects more children
across the country than any statistic can prove.
It's because of this harsh reality
that Kildonan Place hosted a campaign for child
abuse survivors called Give Us A Hand.
The exhibit, which was at Kildonan
Place over the Thanksgiving weekend, is part of
the first 12-city cross-Canada tour of art from
the Survivor Monument Project, funded in part
by the Millennium Bureau of Canada.
The display featured a multitude
of bronzed hand prints and poetry created by child
abuse survivors and designed to stir awareness
of child abuse in the community.
Jake Goertzen, sculptor and anchor
person for the display, said the hand print is
the overall theme of the campaign.
"The hands are reaching out
to the rest of society saying, 'Look what happened
to me. It shouldn't happen to anyone else.'"
Goertzen said the exhibit serves
as an "educational campaign to allow the
public to become more acquainted with problems
and issues abused children have, and the different
ways to overcome them."
Dr. Michael Irving of Toronto,
founder of the Survivor Monument Project, believes
in using art as a therapeutic tool. Goertzen agreed
sculpting is certainly a way to reach deep down
inside and find hidden emotions, adding it was
through art that he was able to cope with his
own feelings about being a victim of child abuse.
"It's a long (healing) process,
but new paths that you didn't see before will
open," said Goertzen. "We want to have
created the precedence that you can have a public
art display that deals with these painful subjects."
The Survivor Monument will be a
large bronze sculpture and will resemble two figures,
draped in large quilts made up of 250 patches.
The patches will be the bronze hand prints, complete
with personal messages from individuals. It will
be unveiled in Toronto in October 2000.
The display gives the public a
chance to participate in this project. For a small
donation, people are invited to trace their hand
prints and write messages of hope and anticipation
for a better future. These hand prints will be
included inside the actual sculpture when it is
constructed in Toronto.
National project
"We want to collect hand
prints from all across Canada,"said Goertzen,
noting that will make it a truly national monument.
"It's a tremendous achievement
for the world, as it's the first monument dedicated
to abused children."
As people approached the extraordinary
display in the mall, many wept as they read the
poetry or studied the hand prints.
Goertzen said some people had commented
on the strength of abused children. "Some
people have said that these children are the strongest
people in the world, to have been put through
such pain and trauma, and to still continue on
in their lives."
Canadian Red Cross volunteers were
on hand to man the display and answer questions
about Red Cross Abuse Prevention Services which
include seminars and workshops to educate adults
and children and provide information on where
to get for help.
Time:
Thursday, Oct 7, 1999 The Head Give us a Hand
October 6-10, 1999
A unique display of handprints
and poetry, created by survivors of child abuse
is on exhibit at Centre Court. Contribute your own
handprint and message for a small donation to Canadian
Centre for Child Abuse Awareness.
Time: October 9, 1999
ALEXANDRA BURGESS For The Sun
People are putting their hands
down on abuse.
The Give Us a Hand Exhibit will
be displayed at Kildonan Place Shopping Mall until
tomorrow.
Winnipeg is the second stop for
the exhibit - a tribute to abuse survivors designed
to raise funds for the first memorial to abuse
survivors in the world, scheduled to be unveiled
in Toronto in October 2000.
"The response has been wonderful,"Manitoba
coordinator Jake Goertzen said of the Survivor
Monument Project, which has been in the works
for a decade. "There's been over $1 million
raised in donations. Dozens of businesses and
hundreds of individuals have contributed and all
the names are listed on display."
The exhibit features handprints
of abuse survivors, a replica of the monument
and a display from 10 schools in the Transcona
division.
People who visit the exhibit are
encouraged to make a monetary donation and draw
an outline of their hand with an inscribed message
or poem.
Goertzen said organizers still
need to raise about $1 million to pay for the
bronzing of the monument.
The
Red River Valley Echo, Monday October 4, 1999 Local artist to perform at survivor
monument display
By Barbara Shewchuk
A Horndean artist will help
open and host a display promoting a new piece of
art, at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre, Oct. 6 through
10.
The Survivor Monument Project is
a year-long traveling art and education exhibit
leading up to the unveiling of a two-piece bronze
monument to survivors of child abuse. It will
be called, "Reaching Out".
Artist and classical guitarist
Jake Goertzen will make brief musical and oral
presentations about the exhibit twice each day,
at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (starting at 7:30 Wednesday).
A display of hand prints and poetry,
created by survivors of child abuse, will be featured
in the interactive touring exhibit called "give
us a hand". The tour is intended to honour
the survivors of child abuse and give the public
a chance to see that it can be discussed in an
open, healthy manner.
"These are art pieces and
poetry that tell a story of hope, survival and
victory,"said Joanna Loney of Kildonan Place
(at the corner of Lagimodiere and Regent in Winnipeg.)
Created in workshops across Canada
by psychotherapist and sculptor Dr. Michael Irving
of Toronto, the founder of the Survivor Monument
Project, the pieces will form the basis of a two-piece
bronze monument 35 feet wide and 11 feet high.
It will be installed in a Toronto park and unveiled
in Oct., 2000.
For a small donation, people can
trace their hand print and write an inspirational
message that will be included inside the actual
sculpture when it is constructed.
Goertzen, a sculptor and artist
who has included child abuse in his artistic themes
over the years, was chosen to represent the project
in Manitoba.
"I met Dr. Michael Irving
in Washing, DC, six years ago. He was doing his
Ph.D. at the time - and devoted about four chapters
in his thesis to my work. Ten years ago he conceived
of this project, the Survivor Monument project.
He himself came from a horrendous abuse background.
"It's miraculous that he conceived
of this project. It involved hundreds of this
project. It involved hundreds of people and many
thousands of hours. About a million dollars has
been raised, not just for the monument but for
education about abuse prevention."
Canadian Red Cross volunteers will
be on hand to answer questions about its abuse
prevention services, which include seminars and
workshops to educate adults and children. Goertzen
will also be available to help.
"They wanted someone who was
trained as a therapist to be present."
The exhibit opens Oct. 6 with an
official opening at 7:30 p.m. that day. It is
supported by the federal government's Millennium
fund and co-sponsored by the Red Cross with support
from numerous other agencies. Any other monies
collected will go to the Canadian Centre for Abuse
Awareness.
Goerzten to perform
Goertzen will perform a piece of music written
especially for the occasion. "I composed
a song I dedicated to him (Irving), called 'Give
us a hand, we're reaching out.'"
The monument is made up about 200
bronze plaques with hand prints and Goertzen will
be working with Irving at a workshop involving
that in November.
Goertzen believes terrible experiences
in childhood can be overcome with the right help,
and his work reflects his emerging optimism. "My
early work depicts and tries to express the child's
point of view of his experience in life. It shows
the negative and also the positive. My later work
is focusing more on the blossoming of life.
"When there's been child abuse,
it's a roadblock to further growth and once you
overcome that, there's a blossoming of life."
Handprints by schoolchildren will
be among those inserted into the completed monument.
Local artist encourages participation
In Survivor Monument project
Picture1
Elisha Cumbers/Echo
Jake Goertzen with model of the Survivor Project
Monument.
Picture2
Handprints by schoolchildren will be among those
inserted into the completed monument.
By Elisha Cumbers
For many victims of child abuse, the healing process
is a difficult, sometimes almost impossible one.
That's why people like Jake Goertzen
have decided to 'give survivors a hand.'
Goertzen, a point person for The
Survivor Monument Project, headed up a display
in Winnipeg last weekend in Kildonan Place. The
display, entitled the "Give Us A Hand"
tour, featured art and poetry from child abuse
survivors. Kildonan Place was only one in a series
of stops across Canada.
The display also featured the definitions
of various forms of abuse, including physical,
emotional, verbal, sexual and neglect. Along with
these definitions were ways to stop the cycle
of abuse, including counseling and educating victims.
The Survivor Monument Project is
an initiative begun by Dr. Michael Irving. His
goals include having participants from all over
the country take part in the unveiling of a large
monument in the fall of 2000 in downtown Toronto.
The monument, which will be 32
feet across and 11 feet high, will stand as a
permanent reminder to be aware of and to honour
child abuse victims. The monument features two
robed figures standing next to each other with
arms outstretched as a gesture of help and support.
Canadians who wish to take part
can do so by attending workshops throughout the
country. There, they learn how to make a piece
of art which includes their handprint, in a wax
cast on an 11 by 11" square piece. They are
free to add their thoughts, images and feelings
to their art.
Each participant receives his own
creation in cast paper painted to look like bronze,
then framed and mounted. The mold goes to Dr.
Irving to be used on the robe in the final sculpture,
thereby giving each person an outlet for their
courage - not to mention a little piece of immortality.
Continue on page 28
"It's more than making handprints
and art," said Goertzen. "It becomes
the first step towards the healing process for
many people. It shows people that they are not
alone."
The unveiling of the monument will
mark the launching of an annual National Child
Abuse Awareness Week. A workshop will be held
from Nov.5 to 10 at the cost of $200 (for materials)
at Knox United Church on Edmonton Street in Winnipeg.
Anyone who wishes to participate
may do so by calling Jake Goertzen at 829-7800.
Time
: Wednesday, October 27,1999
EYE ON THE ISLANDS
A look at Richmond's social scene
MESSAGES OF HOPE:
Nearly 100 locals traced their
hand prints and wrote inspirational words during
the Give Us a Hand Tour at Lansdowne Park Shopping
Centre earlier this month. The tour is intended
to honour the survivors of child abuse and raised
$642 toward the Survivor Monument to be unveiled
next October.
GIVE
US A HAND
Mill Woods Town Centre, Canadian
Red Cross Abuse Prevention Services and The Examiner
are partnering with the Survivor Monument Project
to bring the Give Us A Hand cross-Canada Tour
to Edmonton. The monument is a tribute to the
positive stories of individuals who have overcome,
as best they can, the tragedy of child abuse.
Give Us A Hand to provide
courage and hope for those people recovering from
abuse. Trace your handprint and write an inspirational
message. Drop your handprint off at the Mill Woods
Town Centre Survivor Monument exhibit in the fountain
area by Oct. 31. All handprints and messages will
be collected throughout the Canadian Tour to be
encased in a bronze monument as a tribute to the
survivors of abuse. The monument will be unveiled
in the year 2000.
Art by Survivors
of Child Abuse featured in "Give Us a Hand
Display"
Oshawa Centre
A unique display of hand prints
and poetry, created by survivors of child abuse
was featured at Oshawa Centre in an interactive
touring exhibit called " Give Us A Hand".
The Display was part of the first national tour
of art from the Survivor Monument Project and
is funded in part by the Millennium Bureau of
Canada.
Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited sponsored this
tour which will visit 12 centres across Canada.
The display ran from Jan 12 to Jan 16th and was
intended to honour the survivors of child abuse
and give the public the opportunity to see that
child abuse can be discussed in an open, healthy
manner.
"These are art pieces and poetry that tell
a story of hope, survival and victory," says
Lucia Tignanelli, Marketing Director of the Oshawa
Centre.
Created in workshops across Canada by psychotherapist
and sculptor Dr. Michael Irving of Toronto, the
founder of the Survivor Monument Project, the
pieces will form the basis of a two-piece bronze
monument to be unveiled in October 2000.
Canadian Red Cross volunteers staffed the display
and answered questions about Red Cross Prevention
Services, which include seminars and workshops
to educated adults and children about child abuse
and where to go for help.
Dr. Irving is in private psychotherapy practice
and has worked extensively with survivors of child
abuse and child sexual abuse.
His stone and bronze sculptures are in private
and corporate collections and have exhibited internationally.
Healing Artwork Project helps victims
ease trauma of abuse by Bill Kaufman By Bill Kaufmann
8 News The Calgary Sun, Wednesday, October 27
1999
Local victims of child sexual
abuse are using art to heal their emotional scars
while crafting a memorial to help others.
Seven victims of sexual abuse - including former
Calgary Flame Sheldon Kennedy - are submitting
bronze panels to be included in an ambitious Child
Abuse Survivor Monument.
"It's very important for me to move forward
from the abuse in the past," said Lenora
Southgate, who was sexually abused by a Calgary
neighbour between the ages of 10 and 12.
Southgate is crafting a small panel depicting
her sources of strength in overcoming the trauma
of her abuse.
It will be one of 204 quilt-like squares that
will comprise a memorial in the form of two large,
embracing figures to be unveiled next October
in Toronto.
Another 72 squares will be devoted to children's
handprints to be cast in bronze.
"It's being done in the hope others who have
had the same abuse experience will know there's
a way to heal, that there's lot of help out there,"
said Southgate.
From Nov. 3-7, an interactive display of hand
prints and poetry from the monument project will
be featured at Southcentre mall.
Monument aims to fight child abuse
by Jeff Adams
Calgary Herald, Thursday, November 4, 1999
A Toronto psychiatrist who endured
prolonged sexual and emotional abuse as a child
was so inspired by the Vietnam War Memorial in
Washington, D.C, that he decided to create a similar
monument for child-abuse victims.
Dr. Michael Irving's partially completed Child
Abuse Survivor Monument, featuring the artwork
and messages of hundreds of abuse victims, is
at Southcentre Mall this week.
The final version is slated for completion and
installation in downtown Toronto by next October,
and another one has been proposed for the United
Nations headquarters in New York.
"Monuments are something your do to recognize
adversity and heroism - and child-abuse victims
have certainly faced adversity and are heroes,"
Irving said Wednesday.
Irving had escaped an abusive stepfather , and
gone on the launch successful careers, in both
psychotherapy and sculpting, by the time he visited
Washington's Vietnam memorial in 1991.
He became convinced child-abuse victims deserved
similar recognition, and began talking to victims,
therapists and artists about ways to do so.
Irving said the emotional power of the Vietnam
memorial comes from its seemingly endless list
of the names of U.S. soldiers who died in the
Vietnam War. Each name was once a person - someone
who lived and loved.
It'd be inappropriate for a child-abuse monument
to feature victims' names because many want to
remain anonymous. Instead, Irving's monument features
abuse victims' hands.
"The physical presence of someone' s hand
makes it real and personal," he said.
The two-piece bronze monument, entitled Reaching
Out, will feature figures with arms stretched
wide and draped in quilts. The quilts will have
a cumulative 276 squares, each of which will contain
a distinct hand image.
Most images have been or are being made by abuse
survivors - including Lenora Southgate, who told
a news conference at Southcentre Mall the creating
the image and other artwork has "helped me
to heal and recover."
Several wax or photographed versions of the abuse
victims' hands images are at South center, along
with colour sketches of the intended four-metre-by
10-metre monument.
Beside one image is the message, "May hope
be passed through every hand," and alongside
another is: "The pain of my childhood is
today's woman."
The Reaching out display offers visitors a chance
to sketch their own hands, add messages, and have
them posted nearby. The thousands of contributions
will be inserted in the hollow monument for posterity.
One young artist's sketch offered an urgent message
to victims: "Don't be afraid. Tell someone."
The display has already visited several Canadian
cities, and will keep touring Canada next year
to raise public awareness about child abuse -
including experts' fears that more than 90 percent
of abuse is not reported.
More than $1 million was spent creating and promoting
the monument.
Survivors piece lives together
with quilt
Child abuse victims find solace in national memorial
project by Dipti Chakravorty
2 Calgary Herald Neighbours Zone 4 Week of November
4, 1999
Kim Stood in the shadows of
a couple of life-size sculptures in a Toronto
studio last spring and a strange sense of safety
prevailed over her.
The figures make up the Child Abuse Survivor Monument,
which will be in stalled next to the University
of Toronto greenhouses in October, 2000. Their
arms, draped in quilted bronze shawls, stretch
out and upwards, symbolizing victory for the survivors.
Kim, a Calgary woman, flew east to attend a quilt
block workshop for child abuse survivors. She
mad a casting of her hand in wax on which she
also inscribed her message of personal survival.
The piece, mounted on a 10-inch square wooden
frame, will be plastered in bronze.
A total of 204 of these bronze squares, created
by survivors across the country, will be joined
to from a quilted shawl, covering the majority
of the surface area of the three-metre-by nine-metre
bronze status.
"The project gives voice to the tragic issue
of child abuse," Kim says. "All of the
pieces will be on the monument. Each story is
honoured."
About one out of three girls and one out of five
boys in Canada will have had unwanted sexual experience,
according to the National Clearinghouse on Family
Violence, 1994. Yet shame prevents families from
reporting these cases.
The semicircular monument is designed to reach
out and embrace all who have endured the pain
of abuse, says Kim.
"I had a feeling of intense calm and safety
standing underneath the form."
But right now, the Give Us A Hand art exhibit,
a collection of quilt squares that are replicas
of the images to be mounted on the monument, is
traveling through Canada. It will be on view at
Southcentre Mall until Nov 7.
Kim, 36, runs her hand gently over her art work,
depicting three angels that bring her gifts, Her
biological father gave her a star. Her unborn
baby, that she aborted, gave her a tear of compassion
and forgiveness. Her grandmother presented her
with a rose for beauty and strength.
The inscription "I am never alone" runs
along the side.
For the first 28 years of her life Kim suffered
in silence, eventually revealing her abuse in
1991.
"I though this wasn't happening to anybody
else in the world," says the mother-to-be,
who chose not to use her last name for anonymity.
"I was emotionally isolated. I couldn't speak
out."
Meeting other survivors through the monument project
opened her eyes to the alarming rate of child
abuse in society.
"Knowing I'm not alone validates my experience."
More than 90 percent of cases aren't reported,
according to a Gallup poll taken four years ago.
Though the emotional scars healed, she still grieved
deep down. She covered up the pain with her caring,
bubbly personality. Her abuser admitted to the
crime, which was comforting, to a degree.
Her story, as she tells through the art, ends
on a hopeful note: A mother, cuddling a baby,
amasses strength from the angels, the bearers
of good tidings.
"I'm going to have my own child. I'm going
to be a good mother. The energy flowing gives
me the strength to not be alone. Accept myself
for who I am."
Lenora Southgate also suffered in silence. Her
neighbour molested her over a two-year period.
When she disclosed the abuse, she was told to
stay away for him. End of story.
Confused, frightened and ashamed, she tried to
obliterate the past by working hard, long hours.
She turned into an overachieving, workaholic entrepreneur.
The memories often haunt her.
"At times I have this sense of dread, loathing,"
says Southgate, 52.
She is in therapy and has learned to confront
the troubles. During meditation one day she recalled
the abuse as they had occurred.
"That started the healing process,"
says Southgate, a mother of two and a grandmother.
"Finally, I understood why I have been feeling
the way I have."
Southgate has carved Egyptian goddesses in her
work for the monument project.
The images with their arms reaching upwards to
the sun, which embraces everyone in its warmth,
symbolize rebirth, protection and energy, she
says.
"Healing process for me is being reborn.
I can rise above what happened to me in the past
and hopefully someday I can experience life without
the pain.
"It has been very cathartic participating
in the workshops."
Though the workshops were therapeutic, they were
also exhausting, especially for Kim who was in
the early stages of pregnancy.
"Most people do therapy verbally," she
says. "Creating of art is a process of healing,
which involves getting in touch with the soul.
This was a fulfilling experience but emotionally
exhausting work."
Give Us a Hand is on display at Southcentre Mall
through Nov. 7. Viewers can trace their hand on
a sheet of paper for inclusion inside the monument.
Oct 6, 1999
Sculpting young minds
Dr. Michael Irving asks
Branit Studenica, 7, about his drawing at Bayshore
Public School yesterday. Irving will include children's
messages of hope inside a two-piece bronze sculpture
to be unveiled in October 2000.
JA Media Services
Media Summary Listing
Attention: Patrick Kenny
ACART Communications Inc.
Newsline - BBS/CJOH TV - 6:00 PM - October 6 - Ottawa
Announcer Copy
Clips: Speaker At The Event
Synopsis: An art exhibit by
child abuse survivors went on display today at Bayshore
Shopping Centre. The exhibit is called Give Us A
Hand and is the beginning of a campaign to increase
the awareness of child abuse.
(20 seconds)
You Community Newspaper Saturday, Oct. 9, 1999
Sharing the memory, shaping the dream
Bayshore students give a hand to child abuse survivors
by James Deagle
When it comes to healing
the pain of child abuse, local grade school students
are more than willing to lend a hand.
On Oct. 6 an estimated 5000 students from Bayshore
Catholic School and Bayshore Public School assembled
at the Bayshore Shopping Centre for the donation
of hand prints to the Child Abuse Survivor's Monument.
The donations consisting of tracings of the children's
hands embellished with their own messages and
colouring, will comprise part of the monument
when it is unveiled in Toronto in October 2000.
The originator of the project, Dr. Michael Irving,
sees it as an example of art as healing.
Irving described "heroes"
as those who meet adversity, such as war veterans
or Red Cross workers. He also included in this
definition "people who were once abused as
children and now talk about it."
"These hands represent hope and visualization,
and are an image of the world in a different way."
In an interview with The Clarion, Irving recalled
the genesis of the project almost 10 years ago,
when he was working in Toronto as a clinician
with child abuse survivors. He remembered how
art often played a role in their healing.
Another source of inspiration for the initiative
was the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC, a mecca
for families of soldiers who died in the Vietnam
War. The post-traumatic stress disorder suffered
by many war veterans, he noted, is similar to
the effects on adult survivors of child abuse.
"The role of a public monument is to make
people change," said Irving. "Art has
always had the role of healing," When there
are the "walking wounded" among us,
he said, "society is vicariously wounded."
Irving received his PhD in art and psychology
from the Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio,
where he wrote a doctorate on "art and healing".
The event on Wednesday was part of a 12 - stop
nationwide tour of the project's art work so far,
and is sponsored by Bayshore Shopping Centre's
parent company, Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited.
Funding to the tune of $150,000 has also come
from the Canadian Government's Canadian Millennium
Partnership Program.
"These are art pieces and poetry that tell
a story of hope, survival and victory," commented
Moira McGrath, Marketing Director for Bayshore
Shopping Centre.
In addition to the drawings collected on the cross-country
tour, the monument will also feature bronze hand
imprints from survivors and notables, such as
Ken Dryden and Sheldon Kennedy.
Those wishing to donate their
own handprints to the project may submit them
to 274 Rhodes Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M4L 3A3.
To find out more, visit the monument's web site
at www.childabusemonument.org.
The art will be on display at Bayshore Shopping
Centre until Oct 9. The exhibit will be staffed
by members of the Canadian Red Cross, who will
answer questions about Red Cross Preventative
Services.
Nepean This Week, Friday October
15, 1999
Children provide handprints and messages
Nepean This Week, Friday October
15, 1999
Hundreds of hands reach out to end child abuse
by Brent Dowdall
By putting hands together
from across the country, Dr. Michael Irving wants
to put and end to child abuse - or at least make
a permanent monument to bring attention to the
problem.
Irving has worked for the past nine years to build
the Child Abuse Survivor Monument Project - a
two-piece six-to-seven ton bronze sculpture with
several hundred hands carved in it that will be
dedicated next October.
As part of the nationwide project, a touring exhibition
of hand prints and poetry was on display at Bayshore
Shopping Centre from October 6 to 10, called the
Give Us a Hand tour.
On the opening day of the exhibit, Irving gathered
some 6000 handprints from students at Bayshore
Catholic and Public Schools for inclusion inside
the monument itself. The students traced their
hand prints and added an inspirational message
to their prints at workshops the previous day
in their schools.
The Survivor monument will be placed at the northwest
corner of College and University Avenues in Toronto
and will be unveiled on October 21, 2000.
Irving says he decided to make a child abuse monument
in the fall of 1990, while visiting the Vietnam
war memorial and Holocaust museum in Washington
DC, where he says he saw the power of sculpture
and art to affect and transform people in an emotional
way.
"I thought a child abuse memorial needed
to be personal like the Vietnam war memorial,"
he says.
"The hands was the attempt to make it personal
like the Vietnam war memorial," says Irving,
"so putting somebody's hand was about being
personal and making it real, with real people."
Irving has dual careers as a psychotherapist and
a sculptor. He says e has always been a sculptor,
but working as a psychotherapist with people who
have suffered abuse made him want to help their
cause in some way.
"I had a lot of referrals of severe abuse
survivors just because of my skill." says
Irving, "and just as a human being you hear
those stories and there's a desire to respond
and react beyond just a clinical desire. There's
a human element of wanting to respond to the tragedy
of child abuse."
In addition to the students, the event at Bayshore
also included remarks from leaders of regional
social service agencies. St. Paul's (Toronto)
MP Carolyn Bennett attended and provided a handprint
from deputy prime minister Herb Gray for inclusion
in the monument.
At the end of the ceremony every student left
their hand print and message with Irving, and
the hundreds of papers literally covered the stage.
The messages from the children about child abuse
were clear.
"You can break my bones but never break my
hope for child abuse to end and world peace to
being," wrote student Olivia Grace beside
her hand print.
Irving says the children have a better understanding
of the horror of child abuse than adults.
"Read what the kids say, they know better
than we do," says Irving.
The national tour will bring the monument to the
Canadian public through exhibitions at malls,
galleries and museums.
The tour began in Nepean and it will make stops
in cities from St. John's to Vancouver in October.
In January and February, it will go back on the
road again.
Irving says he has been working full-time on the
monument - 70 to 100 hours a week - since 1996.
He continues to practice psychotherapy one evening
and one morning a week and the monument is being
prepared in his Toronto studio.
(He has also obtained)(sic) government has provided
$150,000 from the Millennium Bureau of Canada,
and Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited, which
owns the Bayshore Shopping Centre, is sponsoring
this tour at its 12 centres.
Bayshore also contributed a $1.200.00 donation
representing a $2 donations on behalf of all 600
children.
Anyone can trace their hand at Bayshore for a
$2 donation toward the monument project, and have
their hand print included in the monument project.
"The input on this has been enormous. The
collaboration has been enormous and I think part
of the power and effectiveness of this is that
collaboration," says Irving.
VOCM NEWS
All The News - All The Time
745 Wednesday Kinsman/Village Col
Fm
A unique exhibit goes on display
today at the village shopping center in St. John's.
The "Give Us A Hand" display features
hand prints and poetry by survivors of child abuse.
Village Shopping Centre Marketing Director Phyllis
Kinsmand says it's a good way to raise awareness
of the issue.
<<KINSMAN>> ….Healthy
Manner
It will be on display from
today until Sunday.
The Windsor Star - Local
Art takes aim at abuse
Sculpture memorial to sexually abused children
by Don Lajoie
Windsor and Essex Country
residents have been invited to reach out to children
whose lives have been stained by the tragedy of
sexual abuse.
The Give us a Hand tour, supporting the Survivor
Monument Project to build a sculpture commemorating
sexually abused children arrived at Devonshire
Mall Wednesday.
Visitors to the display will be able to support
the project by donating money to trace their handprint
or write an inspirational message that will be
included on the Reaching Out monument when it
is unveiled next October in Toronto.
In opening the display, Mayor Mike Hurst said
child abuse injuries "physically, mentally
and in spirit." He added the monument will
bring attention to the problem and show society
is now ready to shed light on what has been a
dark and secret issue.
"This speaks to us of hope now, and in the
future," Hurst said.
It was a them picked up by speakers that included
sexual assault counselors, children's aid workers,
emergency room nurses and adult survivors of childhood
abuse.
Even a class of Grade 6 pupils from Our Lady of
Mount Carmel school lent their voices of support
to the victims when they shouted, in unison, "it's
not your fault."
Bill Beavan, director of the Children's Aid Society,
said the center handles 400 calls a year regarding
child abuse. But, he added, the problem runs deeper
than that because the vast majority of victims
are too frightened or intimidated to speak out.
"Looking at your kids who are here today,
it's you guys who can help out," he told
the student. "If you know someone who is
too afraid to tell someone, then you tell."
Overwhelmed
Pointing to the display of hand prints and verses
already collected for the sculpture Becan stated:
" I'm overwhelmed by the pictures on the
wall. I read one of them and all it said was 'stop
it.' That's what the Children's Aid Society would
like to do."
Karen Conner, a nurse with the Safe Kids Sexual
Assault Treatment Centre at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital,
said staff there examine 100 to 120 children every
year for sexual abuse. Some are referred through
children's aid, some by police. Once, she recalled,
was a seven-year-old boy who had the courage to
report his abuse himself directly to police.
"He was a dandy," Conner said. "It
just tore at my hair."
She said the key to stopping the abuse is awareness
and education. The monument, which will be in
the form of two walls containing a checkerboard
of panels featuring the imprints of survivor's
hands, will be a powerful symbol of society reaching
out to the victims.
Pauline Jalenkiewicz, and 11-year-old in the Grade
6 class, said she believes children are now aware
of the issue, but the monument will make it easier
for them to talk.
"It's important because some (children) are
too scared or too shy to talk," she said.
"It totally affects them on the inside."
The three-metre high and 10-metre wide walls of
the bronze monument incorporate the artistic contributions
of 204 survivors and 72 Canadian children.
The federal government has contributed $150,000
for the project under the Canadian Millennium
Partnership.
The display is on tour across Canada.
National
Monument Tour
The "Give US a Hand"
touring Survivor Monument Project had a brief stop
at Devonshire Mall at the end of October. The project
itself was conceived by Dr. Michael Irving, a Toronto
psychotherapist and sculptor, who wanted to create
a tribute to those victims who either survived or
succumbed. For a small donation, people were encouraged
to trace their hand print and write an inspirational
message that will be included inside the actual
sculpture when it is constructed. The bronze monument
will be unveiled in October of 2000.
Fri, Oct 22/99, Burlington
Post
Child abuse is event topic
The thoughts and works of child
abuse survivors will be featured at an exhibit
opening Wednesday at Mapleview Shopping Centre.
Entitled Give Us A Hand, the interactive display
features hand prints and poetry and is part of
the first national tour of art from the Survivor
Monument Project.
It will run from Oct. 27-31 at Mapleview and sponsor
Cambridge Shopping Centres is holding the event
at 11 other centers from coast to coast.
The display is intended to honour child abuse
survivors and show the public the topic can be
discussed in an open, healthy manner.
"These are art pieces and poetry that tell
a story of hope, survival and victory," said
Angela Mathieson, marketing director for Mapleview
Centre.
Canadian Red Cross volunteers will staff the Mapleview
display and answer questions about their organization's
abuse prevention services. These include seminars
and workshops to educate adults and children about
child abuse and where to go for help.
The art pieces were created in workshops held
across Canada by psychotherapist and sculptor
Dr. Michael Irving of Toronto.
The pieces will form the basis of a two-piece
bronze monument to be unveiled in October, 2000.
From a small donation, members of the public can
trace a hand print and write an inspirational
message to be included in the sculpture.
14 Sunday The Calgary Sunday
Sun, November 21, 1999
Give Us A Hand
Applause, Please … Colleen
Klein, wife of Premier Ralph Klein, and former
Calgary Flames superstar Lanny McDonald were at
Southcentre recently to lend a hand at the Give
Us A Hand media conference. The conference was
in support of The Child Abuse Survivor Monument.
8 News The Calgary Sun, Saturday,
November 6, 1999
Art tour fights abuse
My Sooz and I were colouring
on Wednesday - and I don't mean our hair! Rather,
we were two of the "celebrity" gang
on hand at Southcentre to take part in the national
tour of art from the Survivor Monument Project.
As part of the tour, Celebes drew an imprint of
their hand and wrote an inspirational message
about child abuse.
The art will be encapsulated in the monument.
Over one million hand-drawn squares with messages
will eventually be encapsulated.
My message? "Children are our window to the
future - let that window not be broken."
"Mr. Charity", Lanny McDonald, was of
course there to lend support (could there possibly
be a better friend to children's causes than Lanny?}.
A lady whom I have unlimited respect for, Barb
Higgins, was also there with her usual charm;
as was Mrs. Premier, Colleen Klein, who gives
so much of her time.
Dr. Michael Irving, the founder and sculptor of
the project, recalls many years ago being incredibly
moved by the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington,
DC
"Monuments have a healing quality about them,"
he said. "Survivors of child abuse are heroes
too and deserve to be honoured … hence the
Survivor Monument Project."
The Child Abuse Survivor Monument will be at Southcentre
until tomorrow.
The Red River Valley
Echo, Monday October 18, 1999
Local artist encourages participation in Survivor
Monument project
Jake Goertzen co-hosts monument
promotion by Elisha Cumbers
For many victims of child
abuse, the healing process is a difficult, sometimes
almost impossible one.
That's why people like Jake Goertzen have decided
to 'give survivors a hand.'
Goertzen, a point person for The Survivor Monument
Project, headed up a display in Winnipeg last
weekend in Kildonan Place. The display, entitled
the "Give Us A Hand" tour, featured
art and poetry from child abuse survivors. Kildonan
Place was only one ins a series of stops across
Canada.
The display also featured the definitions of various
forms of abuse, including physical, emotional,
verbal, sexual and neglect. Along with these definitions
were ways to stop the cycle of abuse, including
counseling and educating victims.
The Survivor Monument Project is an initiative
begun by Dr. Michael Irving. His goals include
having participants from all over the country
take part in the unveiling of a large monument
downtown Toronto.
The monument, which will be 32 feet across and
11 feet high, will stand as a permanent reminder
to be aware of and to honour child abuse victims.
The monument features two robed figures standing
next to each other with arms outstretched as a
gesture of help and support.
Canadians who wish to take part can do so by attending
workshops throughout the country. There, they
learn how to make a piece of art which includes
their handprint, in a wax cast on an 11 by 11"
square piece. They are free to add their thoughts,
images and feelings to their art.
Each participant receives his own creation in
cast paper painted to look like bronze, then framed
and mounted. The mold goes to Dr. Irving to be
used on the robe in the final sculpture, thereby
giving each person an outlet for their courage
- not to mention a little piece of immortality.
"It's more than making handprints and art,"
said Goertzen. "It becomes the first step
towards the healing process for many people .
It shows people that they are not alone,"
The unveiling of the monument will mark the launching
of an annual National Child Abuse Awareness Week.
A workshop will be held from Nov. 5 to 10 at the
cost of $200 (for materials) at Knox United Church
on Edmonton Street in Winnipeg.
