Survivor
Stories

If you are a victim, survivor or family member that has experienced violent crime, such as the criminal loss of a loved one, and you would like to share your story, we want to connect with you. Survivor Stories offers the opportunity for you to share your experiences through words and art. 

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The goal of Survivor Stories is to create an awareness and understanding about the impact of violent crime and the needs of victims and survivors. We want to highlight your strength, your courage, and your resilience, as well empower you to voice your concerns, struggles, and disappointments. 

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We hope that by sharing these stories, other victims and survivors of violent crime will feel less alone in their experiences that may be similar. We also hope that the community, our funders and partners, and all those working in the many organizations, agencies and systems who come into contact with victims and survivors, will hear your stories and know how to better support you in your journey.  

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Topics

Survivor Stories is meant to share your own unique experiences, stories, perceptions, or reflections about being a victim or survivor of violent crime. Topic ideas include:

• Helpful tips and pieces of advice/information you would have known

• Coping strategies; what worked and what didn’t work

• Experiences with the justice system and court process following your loss

• Questions, fears, and challenges you experienced

• Impact on finances, mental and physical health, relationships, spiritual beliefs

• Stories of hope, positive experiences, or connections you’ve made

• Ideas and dreams for how systems can better support victims and survivors

 

Formats

Submissions can be shared in a variety of formats that share your unique experience. We are also open to your suggestions and creativity for sharing your story. Some formats you could consider include:

• Written blog post

• Your Victim Impact Statement

• Art piece

• Short video

• Poem

• Song lyrics

• Q&A post/post prompt

• Photos

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Additional Guidelines

Candace House wants to make sure that you and those who are reading your posts feel safe and comfortable doing so. As such, please try to stay within the following guidelines for your submission. 

• For written posts, keep length between 500-1000 words maximum

• If submitting a video clip, try to keep the length around 5 minutes

• You may make multiple submissions, but know that it may not be posted immediately due to others’ submissions and timelines

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You may choose to include your name or remain anonymous as an author of your post. Your post will be shared on the Survivor Spaces blog, our full blog, on our social media pages, and may be featured in newsletters, annual reports, or updates to Candace House subscribers, stakeholders, partners, or funders. We will be in contact to notify you about when and where your story will appear. 

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Please know that Candace House staff will be reviewing every submission prior to posting to our webpage and will work with you to edit or adjust your submissions to ensure that it meets our guidelines. If you’re not sure where to start, we are also happy to work with you on preparing your submission by providing suggestions, making edits, and guiding your reflection.

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Please send your questions or finalized submission(s) to info@candacehouse.ca.

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A PDF version of these guidelines is also available here.