What We Do
The Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective
Changing the Game: Supporting Survivors in Sharing Their Story
Once funded, The Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective will be an extension of the Athlete Survivor Leadership & Support Network (ASLSN), developed for survivors who want to use their lived experience to impact public education, policy advocacy, and culture change.
This program includes:
- Trauma-informed training covering public speaking and self-care for survivors
- Survivor-centered storytelling that centers lived experience
- Voluntary participation for survivors to engage at their own pace
- Personalized support to support healing
Get Involved
Fund The Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective
Your contribution will directly support the development of The Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective. With your help, we can build a space where survivors feel seen, supported, and empowered to share their stories.
Trauma-Informed Training
Athlete survivors who join The Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective receive comprehensive, live-facilitated training rooted in trauma-informed principles. This training is designed to help survivors safely and effectively engage in public education and advocacy, without pressure, retraumatization, or exploitation.
Participants learn how to share their lived experiences in ways that feel empowering, while also understanding how to navigate the emotional, social, and systemic dynamics that can come with speaking out about abuse.
This training also provides tools to set and uphold personal boundaries, manage emotional responses, and make informed choices about when, how, and if they want to speak publicly. Every component is structured to prioritize survivor safety, autonomy, and long-term well-being.
Our goal for the Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective is to support survivors as they develop the skills to become an effective advocate for change.
Survivor-Centered Storytelling
At the heart of The Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective is a storytelling model grounded in the well-being of survivors and supporting how they want to share their stories. As part of this program, participants will explore how their individual stories connect to larger patterns of harm, institutional failures, and cultural norms that allow abuse in sport to happen.
Survivors will be invited to examine the systems and structures (like power imbalances, lack of accountability, and organizational silence) that shaped their experiences. This process helps reframe storytelling as a tool for insight, education, and broader change within the athletic system.
Our desire is to support participants as they decide which parts of their story they want to share and why. This includes setting clear intentions, identifying key messages, and choosing advocacy goals that align with their values.
Voluntary Participation
There is no expectation or requirement for athlete survivors to publicly share their stories in order to receive support, take part in the community, or access training and resources through our Athlete Survivor Leadership & Support Network (ASLSN).
Survivors are always encouraged to engage in ways that feel safe, meaningful, and aligned with their personal healing and advocacy goals, whether that includes public storytelling or not.
We recognize that sharing a personal story is a profoundly individual choice, and it may not be the right path for everyone. Some survivors may choose to engage behind the scenes in policy work, peer support, or organizational change efforts. Others may join simply to connect with a community of people who understand their experience. All forms of participation are valued and honored. And with a trauma-informed approach, there is built-in flexibility for survivors so they can step in and out of participation as they need.
Personalized Support
Every survivor has a different story and a different journey. We offer personalized support that meets survivors right where they are, with no timelines and no expectations.
This personalized approach will ensure that engagement is meaningful and empowering, allowing each participant to shape their own path within the community and advocacy work in a way that feels authentic and sustainable.
Stay Connected
Want to be the first to know updates about The Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective? Share your information below, and we’ll stay in touch about our work at The Assist and developments in the launch of this new program.
By signing up, you’ll receive occasional updates on:
- Progress toward launching The Athlete Survivor Speakers Collective
- Opportunities to support or get involved
- Survivor-centered resources, events, and trainings
- Ways to amplify the voices and leadership of athlete survivors
We are committed to helping survivors share their stories, and we’d love for you to be part of it.
Contact Us
Want to learn more or connect with us? We’d love to hear from you.
Donate
Stand with us! Your involvement impacts systems change, raises public awareness, and protects athletes.
