Testimony Talks

The way we have always come to learn new things is through story.

This, is my story, and I'm excited to share it with you because it's important and brings things that were created to live in darkness, into the light. Sexual abuse isn't something people always feel empowered to talk about, but even less so, men. There are many reasons for that, but one commonality between survivors is,

"I didn't know."

That was my understanding too. I honestly felt I was the only one in the world who had experienced it, because nobody had ever told me otherwise. I'm a secondary school teacher now, and it's the same today as it was when I was in school - boys are disregarded, because sexual abuse amongst men isn't considered a pressing issue or something that happens often enough to warrant any attention. Well,

of every 5 rape victims, 1 is male.

This was steadily 1 in 10 just a few years ago. 1 in 6 men say they experienced sexual abuse as a child, and this statistic is rising to be more like 1 in 5 over recent years. Is it fair to say that maybe the increase is because it's hidden under the dark cloud of ignorance? Because boys aren't educated about the realities of male sexual abuse? Because boys are taught instead to be 'masculine' and socially conditioned to supress their emotions? Because boys aren't exposed to the testimony of men who have been where they've been? I truly do believe so.

Our mission at Speak it Out is to enable conversations amongst boys, to give them the confidence to know what may be happening in their lives is something they can talk about and fear less about being ostracised or not being believed.

We need to facilitate conversations where we can listen to the boys, and help them navigate by training those around them to be an effective light.

But in order to do this, we need funding! Which, believe it or not, isn't the easiest thing for a charity to acquire. Which is where Testimony Talks comes in!

Speak it Out isn't a Christian charity. However, I am Christian and as the founder and CEO of Speak it Out, there's no escaping the grasp of God on my life, and therefore on the organisation. I am a graduate of Theological College, and studying the Word and being guided by the light of Christ is a major part of my life. I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and as you can maybe imagine, this has taken a lot of grappling with God on how and why this has been a part of my life. My testimony is on forgiveness, healing, and the fact that this is a lifestyle and not a one off occasion.

I was praying about how to move forward and how we can ever get this mission to

reach boys in schools around the UK

off the ground, and I really felt led to the Church. Is there room in your calendar for me to visit and minister to your congregation through sharing my testimony? Please, pray about it, and if you feel you can support bringing this vision into fruition, please book a Testimony Talk today by starting a conversation with us.

Email Us