How I spent my summer growing a social enterprise

🎓 Graduating from The Ideas Academy & an opportunity to input on what happens next

Last week, I graduated from the Social Entrepreneur’s Ireland Ideas Academy. 

I was thrilled¹ to be selected back in May and have worked hard this summer trying to distill my vision for what Beyond Survival could be if it grew beyond this online iteration. 

I envisaged:

• a community network of trauma survivors supporting each other over cups of coffee and long walks.

• a trauma-informed program of activities which would empower people to build their own version of recovery.

• expanding this newsletter into a book, podcast, events, and other tangible resources that survivors could hold in their hands. 

I knew The Ideas Academy would be excellent, but it has exceeded my expectations. I’ve completed modules in design thinking, story-telling, fundraising, piloting and so much more. I’ve learned about my strengths as a social entrepreneur and what I need to develop. It was overwhelming at times; there were moments that felt like I was drinking from a firehose of information. But mostly, I've been deeply grateful to be part of it. 

🎓 Collecting my certificate

Last week, we gathered as a class for the last time. During the closing ceremony, the facilitator² led a powerful guided visualization. I went back to my grandmother’s childhood where there was no conversation about sexual violence. Many children experienced it, but it wasn’t widely understood. If my long-dead Granny could see what I’m doing now, I like to think she would be proud of me. She’d also be horrified that I was talking about my private business on the internet! And, she wouldn’t be into all this feelings nonsense…but maybe she’d be proud that I was trying to build something better. 

When I applied for the program, my goal was to build the organisation I wished existed when I was in the depths of my trauma. I haven’t achieved as much as I wanted to over the summer, but I’ve done a lot. Progress is slower than I hoped, but it’s also sustainable. I still wake up buzzing with energy and excitement at what this organisation could be. 

For so long, I kept my trauma to myself. I only told a handful of people that I’d been sexually abused, and those conversations rarely went well. Over the last few months, I’ve pitched my idea over and over again. I describe my mission (“to help survivors of sexual violence feel less alone”) and talk about how it grew from my own personal experience. People have all kinds of reactions to that, but it rarely impacts me anymore.  Somehow the thing I was so ashamed about for so long is now part of my elevator pitch. 

A pic from last week’s celebration which landed in The Irish Examiner 

Right now, I’m at an inflection point. I don't know what’s going to happen next. I’ve applied for seed funding which could help pay for the next stage of Beyond Survival’s development, but it’s a competitive process and I might not be successful.

One thing I know for sure is that I want to learn more about survivors' lived experiences. During the design thinking process, the facilitator shared a quote from Albert Einstein: 

“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions” 

Over the last few months, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to more deeply understand the problem of sexual violence. I’ve spoken with therapists, academics, NGO workers, supporters, artists and many others. But it’s survivors themselves who are my most important stakeholders. 

If you’re a survivor of sexual violence and would be open to answering a few questions about your experiences, please consider completing this survey. It is anonymous and confidential, and you can skip as many questions as you like. If you would find it useful, here is a simple grounding exercise before you start too.

Globally, sexual violence impacts 1 in 3 women. It also impacts boys, girls, men and non-binary people. We need to do more to support survivors and getting accurate information about survivor’s needs is an important part of the process. Please share this survey and help me reach the people who would benefit from this project.

I also plan to conduct informational interviews with a handful of survivors. If you are open to speaking with me or would like some more information, please respond to this email and we can talk about the details.

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Thank you for coming along on this adventure with me. Our lives (& inboxes) are full and busy, and I really appreciate your presence here. 

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💬 In the comments, I’d love to hear your reflections on this piece. What advice would you give me as I grow this social enterprise? Or, what do you think I absolutely shouldn’t do? I’ll meet you in the comments to discuss! 

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1. My reaction when I was accepted onto The Ideas Academy earlier this year:

2. Our facilitator was the wonderful Claudia Geratz.