SPONSORSHIP AS VALIDATION

Corporate Sponsorship and Cause Advertising

Quilt squares and images of the Monument were used for a travelling art and educational exhibition and public awareness campaign. These events and activities had government and corporate sponsorship. Corporate names were associated with the exhibitions and with some of our child abuse brochures, booklets and our public service announcements (PSA's).

This type of corporate affiliation with a charity or social issue is called "Cause Advertising." It is intended to show a business as a responsible, caring and involved partner in the community. Cause advertising helps a charitable group fund or promote its activities and cause.

There is some controversy surrounding cause advertising - it can be questioned whether a charitable group or issue is being taken advantage of or co-opted by a corporate sponsor or partner. While seeking input on cause advertising and sponsorship the project has pursued the participation of film makers, clinicians, survivors, fundraisers, advertising and media people to develop our approaches and policy with regards to sponsorship and public service announcements. We have looked deeply at what needs to be said and how it needs to be said.

Our Child Abuse Awareness Advisory Forum brought together 120 survivors, clinicians and community stake-holders in child abuse from across Canada to define and develop many of the messages and themes that will be used in the Project's cause advertising. The board and project staff have done much reflection and discussion on how we will participate with corporate sponsors.

Cause advertising needs to be tactful and clearly of redeeming social benefit to the issue or it will not work and may be detrimental to a corporate sponsor. Corporations and advertisers know this and work directly with a charity to be a constructive partner.

There are many positive benefits to corporate affiliation with the project and its causes. Yet, there will likely be instances where sponsorship or logo identification may be controversial for different quilt square artists. We appreciate concerns that are voiced and make our decisions after thoughtful consideration.

SHATTERED YOUTH

Depression takes over and so I search my soul and my inner self,
Hoping to discover some explanation of a senseless situation.

I look to the mirror
What do I see?
A frightened child,
Please don’t let it be me.

In the deepest regions of my confused and cluttered mind,
Are shards of what seem to be a nightmare of the worst kind.,

I look to the mirror
What do I see?
A frightened child,
Please don’t let it be me.

For years I avoided this reflection because of its unpleasantness
swiftly running endlessly away from the reality of its existence.

I look to the mirror
What do I see?
A frightened child,
Please don’t let it be me.

A safe life, for this young soul, would require a guard.
A rock, a hammer, a fist, thrusting forward
Too hard, too hurtful, too inexplicably wild,
To obliterate the reflection of this child.
And so, I think, I am drawn to a conclusion,
For this child, there will be no more confusion.

Suddenly, the pieces crash t o the floor.
The child runs frantically to get out the door.
She searches for the exit and he blood runs cold
As she realizes that it is surrounded by the mold
Of the mirror that she shattered to bits that day.
Destroyed is the escape route to a safe place to play.

Tana

Normalizing the Stigma of Child Abuse

As was remarked previously, mainstreaming and normalizing the concerns of child abuse moves them out of the fringes of being a social taboo.

The monument and child abuse as issues for cause advertising can help individuals and society to overcome the distancing and denial that are common responses to concerns of child abuse. The mainstreaming and normalizing of cause advertising can assist individual survivors in dealing with both the personal and social stigmas of having been abused as a child.

The wounds of child abuse have strong social components. Three primary wounds of child abuse are shame, worthlessness and isolation.

Various public responses help to address the social nature of the injury of child abuse. Cause advertising has unique validating properties associated with its public profile. It would be hoped that corporate sponsorship of the project and corporate identification with addressing the issues of child abuse would send strong messages that "You have nothing to be ashamed of," "You are a valued and important person", "You are not alone, our community cares about you and your well being."

The potential public support inherent in the act of sponsorship can provide the direct benefit of assisting with healing and recovery.

Sponsorship as Validation

Quilt square workshop participants who have received sponsorship by businesses or community groups have been positively affected by their sense of social support.

Rebecca saw an outpouring of support in her community for herself and in donations from a wide variety of businesses that helped a workshop occur in her small community. Rebecca shares,

“The workshops really helped me to be more real and trust more openly. It has shown me that there are a lot of good people out there, right from Michael’s kindness and courage, Angela’s devotion, to people’s donation for our workshop. I have also had many people that I hardly know come and offer me support. I have had a lot of validation for my feelings of hope.”

It is important to know that others in the community care and are willing to reach out and respond.

In addition to helping organize quilt square workshops, participants have also sought funding donations from businesses for services and materials for the studio, project research activities and other events. These survivors have found generous and welcoming arms in the business community.

There is a strong and authentic desire to want to make a difference to the tragedy of child abuse. This acceptance and care is one of the valuable lessons for survivors who at one time certainly felt no one cared.  The reality is that most people care and they have even wanted to respond to this issue, but they have often not known how or where to respond.

The work of the Monument Project provides an opportunity to respond in a tangible way and allows survivors to hear a strong message of support from society.

Our sponsorship web page presents the generous outpouring of sponsorship for the work of our project.