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We were very pleased to see a book addressing a young person's experience of domestic abuse. This subject is often overlooked and will be a valuable resource in the refuge when we have teenagers staying.

Alison Hope, Manager of Wear Valley Women’s Aid

Thank you for the amazing work that you do, our children may be small in primary school but their worries aren't.

Lynn Whitehead-Lewis, Counsellor at Catchgate Primary School

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Sometimes It Hurts

SOMETIMES IT HURTS is a new book and animation that aims to give a voice to young people and a language to themes that are difficult and sensitive to approach, such as neglect, divorce, domestic abuse and unhealthy, controlling behaviours, both within families and within young people’s own romantic relationships. The content created, aspires to strengthen the capacity for both adults and young people to identify what is healthy and unhealthy in relationships of all kinds, develop empathy for others, and seek / offer better ongoing support.

The six illustrated short stories reflect a diverse range of young people who are different ages, races, sexualities, and genders. The one thing they have in common, is that they are all experiencing something at home that hurts them. This is particularly pertinent at the moment (2021), as research shows there has been a significant increase in domestic abuse related offences during the covid-19 pandemic and an increase in child neglect and abuse, with many suffering due to financial strains and isolation.

The content is accompanied by a short, animated film version. To find out more about the project or enquire about accessing the animation get in touch [email protected]

 

daisy arts-book with notes sticking out

Image credit Daisy Arts

 

HOW WE CREATED SOMETIMES IT HURTS

We delivered what was originally called The Child’s View Project together with our Creative Associate Michelle Harland, CEO of Creative Youth Opportunities and writer Bridget Hamilton. The project need was informed by feedback from teachers and adults who work with young people who had engaged with our two other domestic abuse resources MAKE DO AND MEND and US TOO telling us they needed more to support young people.

Together Michelle and Bridget led a programme of weekly creative workshops with groups of young people, inviting discussion around ideas of family, relationships, hurt, trust and getting support, through a range of participatory discussions and creative activities. These were shaped by physical and digital scrapbooking to collect and log thoughts and ideas which would help our illustrator and animator create a visual landscape for the creative outcomes to capture the project resulting in the book SOMETIMES IT HURTS and subsequent animation.

daisy arts - girl on floor with book#2

Image credit Daisy Arts

Alongside these activities, our Artistic Director Pollyanna Turner managed a creative team, including illustrator Tamsin Rees, and animator Sheryl Jenkins, who linked with the group to help build a relationship of trust, share ideas and creative skills, and foster an environment of co-production. A project steering group completed the team with individuals from a range of backgrounds, including safeguarding, education, local councillors, together with professionals and individuals who publicly advocate domestic abuse awareness-raising including founders of COCOAwareness Luke and Ryan Hart who kindly wrote the foreword to the book. This group ensured that the young people we were working with were supported appropriately and that our content would provide a platform to give voice to others whose own stories may resonate.

So, if you’re a practitioner with a responsibility for PSHE, RSE, safeguarding or pastoral care in a school or if your work brings you into contact with young people and their families outside of a school, such as a youth leader, foster carer, social worker, researcher or academic, then this work is for you.

 

WHAT NOW?

If you’d like to know more about the project and our plans for development, including our Autumn training and Teacher CPD offers, activities and toolkits linked to these new resources we’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Our book is available to purchase online with £1 of each sale going directly to our local women’s refuge to directly support young people in their service (link to book on sale in our web Shop).

We are incredibly grateful to all who have supported us in creating this work over the last year, including the young people who shared their stories with support from Creative Youth Opportunities, Founders of CocoAwareness, Luke & Ryan Hart & Susie Hay, Head of Research, Evaluation & Analysis at Safelives who supported us as an active member of our project steering group.

Ayesha

Image credit Tamsin Daisy Rees