We want to change what support looks like. Many survivors struggling with trauma also have to fight state violence.

Facing an openly sexist and racist criminal justice system, our classist benefit system and our exclusionary well-being and recovery world, we all have to navigate healing and justice through systems set up to fail us.

SLEEC was founded by two survivors. Finding existing survivor support limiting, inaccessible and in many ways harmful, they set up SLEEC. They saw a need for a space that was entirely founded, led and developed by those with lived-experience rather than those with only learned knowledge. A space that is joyous, alive, powerful and honest.

Our mission is to unlearn what we have been conditioned to believe is the ‘right’ way to heal and be seen and treated as individuals, rather than our experiences.

We believe support should allow people to be unapologetically themselves and to meet someone where they are at. Healing is not linear, it is messy, complex and unpredictable and we need spaces that cater for that.

SLEEC was made to be a platform that centres us in being in control of how we support ourselves, how we seek support, how we recover and live our best lives.

Across our support spaces we address things that are often avoided in mainstream support services, like discussing the complexities of our privileges and oppressions, exploration of sexual pleasure after trauma, classism within well-being, the need for raw humour and playfulness, mental health stigma and breaking down stereotypes of survivors and those who have caused harm.

RECOVERY SHOULDN’T BE A LUXURY

Part of having control and choice around trauma recovery involves being able to afford to access things that might help. Recovery is often a luxury, as those without money are unable to afford to meet basic needs for self-care. This is why we started The Resilience Fund to support survivors to easily access mini-grants to help with the basics and radical-self-care treats. This is core to our project. We also run radical healing spaces where everything is free.

ONLINE SUPPORT SPACE

Our online survivor-led support space launched in March 2023.

This space came about because so many of us in our community wanted something different; support that is led by and shaped by us, instead of set out and controlled by others. Many of us have experienced finding support inaccessible, unaffordable, limited, conditional, exclusive and not meeting our needs and have desperately wanted something else. Survivors in our community have asked for a long time for this space to exist, now we are able to start to build it.

This is a survivor-led group that runs for 12 months and meets online every 2 weeks on Thursday evenings from 7pm – 8.30pm.

This space is for women, femmes and nonbinary survivors of rape or sexual assault who are 18 and older. We are not gatekeepers of womanhood or femme identities. If you identify as a part of any of these identities / genders / presentations it is for you. It is for those who have experienced sexual assault, rape and trauma, no matter how major or minor you feel this to be. 

A facilitator (who is also a survivor and trauma expert) is present for every session. She is there to open and close the space, manage time and hold the group, but her level of influence on the space is collectively determined as the group develops.

What the space intends to be:

This is a mutual support space where we can discuss, share and unpack our thoughts, and feelings as people who have experienced sexual violence and harm. This can look like however we collectively decide within the space. It can be a space to laugh, have rage, cry, find connection, be silent, take it in turns to talk, find ideas, get validation or simply release.

How it forms will be built by those who are in it and what they need. SLEEC does not want to determine what this will look like, we want you to collectively shape it.

Whilst this space is primarily to unpack anything that is going on for us individually and collectively, it is also there to form real solidarity and deeper understanding of each other in our own community.

What the space is not:

This is not a therapy group nor should you use it as a substitute for professional counselling. If you want counselling or crisis support this space is not that.

Currently this group is open

Contact us if you want a space asap as it will close as soon as we reach capacity.

Future groups:

As requested we are trying to fund further groups so we can have specific groups for people with intersecting oppressions and trauma. Please check back for updates on this.

 

SUPPORT FOR THOSE SUPPORTING SURVIVORS:

 

 

We offer a drop in support group every month for those who want help supporting survivors.

This is led by survivors of rape and sexual violence and costs £20.

To join or find out more email hellosleec@gmail.com