Born To Be & Little Words of Kindness

UPDATE INFO BELOW**

I learned about Born To Be, a retreat center for victims and survivors of sexual assault where they could go to heal through writing, painting, art, etc. from the RAINN Speakers Bureau in which I am a member. Born To Be is a project currently in development along with The Little Words of Kindness campaign created by its founder Jenna Kandyce Linch who herself is a survivor of child abuse, domestic violence and rape. Little Words of Kindness, which is also a work in progress, allows anyone to participate in either the letter writing project the donation of journals, notebooks, diaries or pens or both. 

Jenna, a nature lover, found it healing to be out in nature and thought the peaceful surroundings would be beneficial for other survivors too. The name Born To Be came to her while out running one day and thinking how, as survivors, we struggle to define where we fit in and where our lives are headed as we piece our lives back together. The more she got to thinking about the name the more it stuck by representing the mission and goal of Born To Be Inc. Its mission is to help victims and survivors see how beautiful they are and help them regain the confidence to see who they were born to be and meant to be in life.

Jenna started Born To Be Inc a year after she was date raped by her ex-boyfriend. The project grew out of an online petition first urging the government to fund special schools for victims and survivors where they could heal from their sexual assaults. It changed direction from there to develop a retreat where victims and survivors could go to encourage healing through painting, art, writing, etc.

Many victims in counseling are asked to write or journal as part of the therapy process, I was one of them and found it extremely effective. I know of several other women who choose to express themselves through music and songs they have written. Writing has always been Jenna's voice as she suffered sexual and domestic violence through childhood with nowhere to go and no one to talk about the abuse ultimately learning to survive on her own at the age of 17. Born To Be Inc is currently in the "work in progress" stage but the goal is to establish a place of solace and serenity where victims and survivors can go to get support from each other throughout their healing process. This idea is innovative and progressive and would provide another option for victims of all forms of sexual abuse. I was able to find this kind of solace at WOAR, the rape crisis center in Philadelphia, but these organizations are not always available for geographical reasons, lack of funding or simply not the type of place some victims would be comfortable visiting.

The Little Words of Kindness campaign came to Jenna after reading a letter sent by a survivor telling her what an inspiration her MySpace writings were and what a difference they made in her life and then sharing what she had been going through. After reading that letter she thought "what if I could start a campaign where survivors write each other notes to inspire, encourage, motivate and lift one another up while sharing their experiences?" Hearing kind words from strangers, those who have been through similar situations, can make all the difference in the healing process. I can confirm this because while I was sitting in the courtroom during my attacker's trial with his other victims and although we couldn't speak to each other there was a bond that provided a silent strength no one else outside the group could provide us. There was a support system through our similar traumatic experience that friends, family and other loved ones simply couldn't offer. Survivors know that we won't judge each other and we can't guarantee we will get that from anyone else.

Writing gave Jenna her voice back as it did for me. I was encouraged to write by my therapist throughout my rape crisis counseling process. Jenna wants to make writing supplies available to hand out at shelters, hospitals, rape crisis centers, colleges and events such as Take Back the Night. Every survivor deserves the right to get their voice back. Those of us that were successful in doing so want to share that feeling with others.

If a volunteer decides to write a letter it's as simple as a putting down on paper what comes from the heart and no particular length is required whether it be short or long. They can also write multiple letters, there is no time limit to submit them and can be anonymous as well. This is such a simple yet powerful way to let survivors know they are not alone and gives them the spark of hope they need to begin moving on.

In my ongoing effort to pass along information providing alternatives to healing from sexual assault and prevention tools I thought this would fit into this category. It's unique but has a direct effect on victims as the letters go directly to them. I can personally share that in the time between reporting my rape to law enforcement and beginning my counseling I felt alone, out of place, confused among other feelings. If I received a letter of support from another survivor or even a stranger it would have been so helpful for my mental well-being.

UPDATE**
Jenna is now looking for survivors of sexual assault to decorate a postcard now through April 2016. Her goal is "to turn postcards into a canvas for a healing process and to exhibit the postcards collected over the course of a year". More details provided on this website...

Awakenings Foundation and Gallery

For more information and Jenna's story visit her official website.

Jenna's Story & Born To Be

Jenna also started a blog where she is looking for writers to post testimonials, poetry, stories, helpful hints, etc. It's described as a for survivors from survivors.

Little Words of Kindness Blog

Little Words of Kindness Campaign Information

Mail letters directly to:
Jenna Kandyce Linch
Born To Be Inc
600 S Graves Street
#2306
McKinney, TX 75069

Email letters to (that will be printed and sent):
jklinch_risingabove@yahoo.com