Proposal Title
Positive Perception Advocates

The study of sexual abuse and its effects titled, Child Abuse & Neglect by Beitchman J.H., reports that:

-Women with a history of abuse are 3 times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders than those who do not.
-There 39 million survivors in the United States.
- 31 million survivors report excessive drug and alcohol use

- 23 million teen pregnancies are preceded by experiences of molestation or rape.

Note: The Women's Fund of Central Ohio reports that Franklin County has a 38% higher rate of teen pregnancies and a 32% higher rate of abortion more than any other county in the state.
- 19 million incarcerated women report they were abused prior to incarceration.
- 29 million serial rapists report they were abused as children.
- 27 million sex offenders have between 1 and 9 victims; 5 million have between 10 and 40

Missions Statement
Positive Perception Advocates goal is to create an atmosphere that restores faith in the survivors own capabilities to create something positive out of something negative, thereby developing a self created sense of empowerment.

Please note: this is strictly a creative program. Participants in need of professional psychiatric attention shall be strongly encouraged to continue seeing their certified mental health provider. We do not evaluate mental health or provide treatment. If we feel a survivor is in need of professional assistance we will refer them to resources that can better assist them.

Objectives:
(1) Create a safe atmosphere where self-identified women can release energy, thoughts, and emotions related to indescribable acts of force surrounded by survivors who truly understand the effects of abuse.
(2) Provide a social network and empower survivors with positive comradeship, creative guidance, and resources to achieve self acceptance and self confidence.
(3) Give survivors the opportunity to pay it forward by becoming a support system for Positive Perception Advocates.

Target Audience
Program attendees are connected through networking with the following Franklin County organizations.

(*) expressed interest

(^) awaiting response

(g) future contact

* Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio( SARNCO)-Heather Herron Murphy Program Director (614) 566- 4770
* Alvis House Inc. – Sile Singleton Staff Training Coordinator (614) 252-8402

* City Year Columbus (CYCO)- Jennifer Fowler Program Manager of Heroes Program (614) 586-4582

* Stonewall Columbus ( Location of program) –Suzie Simpson Center Coordinator (614) 930- 2260

* Summit United Methodist Church (University Area Enrichment Association)- Catherine Girvus (614) 371-8232
* Choices Columbus – Sandy Allen Program Director (614) 224-7200

^ Volunteers of America- (614) 251-7610
^ Mount Carmel Crime & Trauma Assistant Program (C-TAP)- (614) 234-5900

^ Dance Synergy Studio- (614) 848-4998

^ Dodge Community Recreation Center- (614) 645-8151

g. National Youth Advocacy Coalition – (202)-319-7596
g. Ohio Department of Health- OPA@ohio.gov
g. Columbus Coalition for the Homeless- (614) 228-1342
g. The Ohio Association of Behavioral Health- (614) 224-1111
g. The Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies-

(614) 461-0014
g. Franklin County Where Government Works- webmaster@franklincountyohio.gov
g. Columbus Division of Police – (614)645- 4642
g. National Council on Drug Dependence and Alcoholism- national@ncadd.org

g. Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN)- 1 (800) 656-HOPE

Program Agenda:

10-week concurrent commitment program

Week 1: Meet & Greet: (2.5 hour event; 3 components)

A. Demonstrate expressing sexual abuse in a positive form with two examples:
- Unecc will perform Lost It- her song about the abuse she endured; its impact on her life
- Nicole Smith will read an excerpt from her creative memoir The Closet- dives deeper into the perceptions of someone who is vulnerable to abusive circumstances

B. Open Floor Discussion (4 parts)

1. Elaborate on the true events behind our art pieces
2. Benefits from this form of expression versus other forms
3. Exhibiting publicly versus keeping it private
4. Comments, Concerns & Questions

C. Explain & Invite to Expression Sessions

Close with Unecc performing Life Is Beautiful- song explains that there is a lot of tragedies and disasters; at the root of the experience there is strength in some form that you gain from it and that’s what makes life worth living even in your darkest hour.

Week 2-9: Expression Sessions:

Survivor is given a list of creative outlet options with which to express their experience. They must choose one with a goal to complete the project in eight weeks. The choices are as follows…

A. Writing:
- Poetry: (Session lead: Unecc) create a spoken word piece; lay it down on a track for inclusion in a final project end compilation CD.
- Fiction: (Session lead: Nicole Smith) incorporate a thought, feeling, or character from your true experience and use it to create a short story; they record final draft on a disk with Unecc
- Nonfiction: (Session leads: Nicole Smith & Unecc) express the true event from start to finish in a written form of your choice such as flashback, memoir, or autobiography; final draft recorded for inclusion in a final project end compilation CD.

B. Drawing: (Pencil or Charcoal) Collection of 3 pictures (Session leads: Unecc & Nicole )
- (1) The individual's perception of themselves
- (2) Portray the emotions about the experience
- (3) "Mental Photograph" of the moment that you felt most victimized

C. Painting: (Tempera Paint) Visual story (Session Leads: Unecc & Nicole)
- (1) Beginning: the second it started
- (2) Middle: most haunting moment
- (3) End: the moment it was over

Week 10: Release means Peace Community Exhibit: (3 hours)
- Providing tangible evidence for other survivors of abuse that they are not alone and they can express themselves in a positive form
- Families/friends of survivors the ability to truly "see" what their loved one has endured.
- Educating the importance of art in the community

Long term goal: Financial sponsorship to support two paid volunteer staff and budget for five program cycles.

What is the timeframe for the proposal and its completion?
Ten weeks: March 14th to May 16th of 2010.
Meet & Greet on Sunday March 14th @ Stonewall 2pm - 4:30pm
Expression Sessions begin March 21st and end May 9th – times varies on space availability
Release Means Peace Community Exhibit on Sunday May 16th, 2010 @ Stonewall 2pm - 5pm


How will you use the award money to complete the proposal?
Program Budget:
Amount: Item name: Supplier: Cost
1: Rented Sound System: SPS Enterprises: $75.00
2/1: Portable Microphones/ Transmitter: Markey's Audio Visual: $95.00
5: 6/ pack 1subject notebook: Staples: 34.95
2: 50 Assorted Retractable Ball Point Pens: Staples: $17.58
5: Langenscheidt's Pocket Merriam-Webster Dictionaries: Langenscheidts.com: $74.75
2: Memorex 100 pack of CD's: tigerdirect.com: $38.00
1: Dry Media 11.5'' x 14'' sheets: Hobby Lobby: $11.99
10: Drawing Class Essential Kit: Hobby Lobby: $129.99
2: Wet Media 11" x 15" Pad: Hobby Lobby: $27.98
10: 25 assorted brushes/ pack: Hobby Lobby: $69.90
5: 2/pack Kimberly Drawing Pencil: Hobby Lobby: $7.95
10: Well Plastic Palette: Hobby Lobby: $12.90
2: 2 /pack: Lexmark 14 Black Return Program Ink Cartridge: Staples: $85.98
1 Case:5000 sheets of Staples Paper: Staples: $35.99
1 pack: 25,000 Staples: Staples: $4.39
20: 22" x 28" Poster Board: enasco.com: $15.80
2pack: Elmer's Poster Tack All Surface 2 oz: createforless.com: $4.38
2: 100 CD shells (cases): buycshell.com: $64.00
Varies: Release means Peace Exhibit food: Kroger: $139

Total Budget Estimate: $807 + $54/tax =$1000

Goals for future funding:

· Silent Auction
· Compilation CD
· Private and Corporate sponsors/grants
· Plan to submit proposal to:

o Plum Grants - www.dosomething.org
o Charles Lafitte Foundation- www.charleslafitte.org
o Contextual Approaches To Prevention of Unintended Pregnancy- www.grants.nih.gov
o Vectren Foundation- www.vectren.com
o Presbyterian Committee on the Self Development of People- www.pcusa.org
o The Allstate Foundation- www.allstate.com
o The Dreyer's Foundation- www.dreyersinc.com
o The First Energy Foundation- www.firstenergycorp.com
o The George Gund Foundation- www.gundfdn.org
o The National Institute of Health Contextual Approaches to Prevention of Unintended Pregnancy- www.grant.nih.gov

o Maclellan Foundation- www.maclellan.net

What makes this the proposal to vote for?
I am a survivor of sexual abuse and art is what lifted the effect of shame and low self confidence. Counseling was too detached to help give me the understanding I needed. It is impossible for me to grasp the concept that someone (who can't disclose personal information with clients by law) can truly understand. You would have be a survivor of sexual abuse in order to give true insight into my perception of reality. I found it for the first time listening to Lost it by Unecc. The form of her expressed thoughts and emotions about what she survived gave me tangible evidence that validated the fact that I am not alone in the way abuse has effected me. I have the strength to conquer how it tries to control my life. I am not the only survivor who has found creative expression healing. The healing influence in creating and experiencing art is the reason we want to advocate that our program is vital to these women and our community.