Find support for sexual violence with The Mix’s Support Circle

T/W This article includes references to sexual violence.

We know that some young people who have experienced sexual violence find it hard to access face-to-face services and most have never met another person with the same experiences as them.  

The Mix partnered with The Green House, a specialist support service for children, young people and families who have experienced sexual abuse, to run an online support group called ‘Support Circle’, once a week for survivors of sexual violence. 

What is Support Circle? 

Support Circle is a small group chat to support up to four young people per session (aged between 13-25). Everyone that signs up takes turns to get support about whatever is on their mind or attends the session to listen to help others.  

Support Circle is a safe, welcoming, non-judgmental space and is moderated by trained volunteers who support in keeping the space safe and facilitating the session.  

What can I talk about? 

If you have (or think you might have) experienced sexual violence, come along for a safe space to chat. We want you to feel comfortable knowing that it’s ok to talk about your experiences with sexual violence, or not; there’s no pressure to in the session. The group will be there to support you with whatever you’d like to talk about.

If your case is currently under investigation by the police, we kindly ask that you don’t share details of the incident that’s being investigated and anything that identifies you. The reason for this is because we may be legally required to share this information for your investigation so it’s best to use an anonymous username when joining the session and avoid sharing your abuser’s name.

Take a look at the Community Guidelines on Safety and Confidentiality, which can help you to understand how to safely share your experiences in the group. 

You can also read more about The Mix’s confidentiality policy over on our website.  

Feedback from other young people 

We asked people who had attended Support Circle what they found most valuable about the session, and they said:  

“The thing I find most useful about Thursday’s Support Circle is how it has a nice non-judgmental atmosphere and how the others in the group listen and support alongside of the mod/mods when possible.”  

“The safeness of the group by far, it makes it so much nicer knowing I can freely talk about stuff bothering me and I actually feel listened to in it.”  

“The space is there if you need it and since it’s support for those who have experienced any sexual assault/violence you kinda feel less alone even if you’re not talking about it.” 

What should I expect when I join? 

Support Circle is broken up into four segments:

8:00 – 8:10pm | Arrivals and opening round question
8:10 – 8:15pm | Creating a group agreement
8:15 – 9:15pm | Support hour (split equally between everyone)
9:15 – 9:30pm | Closing round question 

During the support hour, everyone has 10-15 minutes of support time each. We will also have opportunities for you to take a break during the session too. 

How do I sign up?

To sign up for a place, complete our registration form. A few hours after you sign up, you’ll be sent an email telling you how to confirm your space. We hope to see you there! 

If you have any questions about Support Circle, please reach out to The Mix’s Community Team at [email protected].