UOV Survivor Fund - Chessa Manion

Hello,

Welcome to the Use Our Voice Foundation Fund.

My name is Chessa Manion. I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, shunning, silencing, and spiritual abuse within the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. My family and I have been severely damaged by organizational policies that kept us silent for decades and heavily discouraged us from pressing charges and outing my rapist. My abuser has alternatively been protected by these policies, and continues to be around the organization with full access to children due to those policies that protected him in 1994, and continue to protect him now as an adult. He is not on a sex offender registry due to the cover-up. There has been little to no warning issued through the congregation, and no action was ever taken despite Steven Lett of the Governing Body knowing my family personally and supposedly praying over my case specifically. 

I was recently featured in an article by David Gambacorta of the Philadelphia Inquirer that explains more of my situation in greater detail.

I am not only a survivor of sexual abuse, but also one of many who has struggled to thrive in adulthood due to educational discrimination inside the Organization. Children within the organization are heavily discouraged from seeking higher education, finding and maintaining a career, joining in after school activites such as sports, pursuing their talents, etc as it distracts from "the real life" aka campaigning door-to-door and spreading the message of Gods Kingdom and upcoming judgement. As a result, I was taken out of school in the fourth grade, baptized at 13, and had made a decision to Regular Pioneer (an active volunteer logging in over 75 hours a month in door to door canvassing, offering in-home bible studies and counseling services to the public, parts on meetings, assemblies and conventions, and being a considered a "pillar in the congregation" and a morally sound example for the rest of the flock) at 14. 



It was a career I continued for 10 years, in several countries and different languages including American Sign Language. Although I was actively supporting others in the community, as well as assisting members of the congregation, this busy work kept from having an actual education, learning how to manage finances, maintain healthy relationships, seek therapy for PTSD and compounded trauma, as well as little-to-no opportunity to naturally grow into maturity, which has stunted me as an adult. I was also bullied, molested, and discriminated against throughout my youth with no one to turn to. The silence continued for decades, before I finally got out in 2015.


 I did not receive any sort of therapy for what happened to me due to my parents and I being actively discouraged from finding comfort in "worldly ideologies". Jehovah's Witnesses are cautioned from fully disclosing situations in therapy that would give a "bad witness" on the organization, as well as told that anyone in the mental health field may try to manipulate them and separate them from the congregation. Members who do seek therapy are watched closely and visited regularly by the elders, brothers, and sisters. Medication is often encouraged over talk therapy, and there are many in the organization with undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or poorly managed mental health conditions due to this belief. This is another form of educational discrimination, suppression, and child indoctrination. It has also been used in congregations to exploit those with untreated mental or disabilities to further serve the organization by donated hours in volunteer work, money, real-estate, etc. 

Due to the overwhelming stress I'm facing now approaching my 30's, as well as shocking new revelations that I may be one of many victims of my abuser, I have decided to finally move forward and come out with my story, seek help for myself, and try to help others along the way as well. My aim is to help not only Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses, but also anyone else coming out of a high control organization that has been a victim of violence, abuse, silencing, shunning, or discrimination.

There is so much toxicity to the organization that has not yet been addressed, as well as far reaching discrimination and other harmful policies outside sexual abuse. I hope to do what I can as well as build up others who can expose this in the future. For more information about that, my upcoming book project, and otherwise please watch the video below:

One of the things that has gotten me through all of this is learning to Use My Voice. I find self expressionism via art, writing, singing, dancing, performing has been a huge avenue for me during my healing process. Researching, meditating, and seeking higher education and achieving small goals towards stabilizing myself financially and moving on after tragedy has been another major role. Transitioning out of a high control organization can be pretty rough, but I've been so encouraged by everything that has been accomplished so far (more on that below), and I want to be able to reciprocate that encouragement and support to any survivor who's struggling through a hard time. I'm hoping this fund can grow into something to give them a sense of relief and empowerment to assist them in finding their happiness as well.

I have written a blog post about my transformation post-exit from the organization. You can read about all the nitty gritty in's and out's if you like here . 

Why I started this GoFundMe:

I initially started this GoFundMe for trip funds to get to Pensylvannia and stand with Mark Rozzi , Barbara Anderson,  Martin Haugh , and others to show support out in favor of reforming statute of limitations legislation in PA , as well as speaking out against silencing child sexual abuse victims via high control organizations. It was a huge success!




After my trip to PA, I also was able to nominate A&E's Romy Maple  as a survivor and offer her a gift via finding donors  to help her get to the International Cultic Studies Association in July. 

I am now a Featured Blog Writer  and Youtube Channel  for the VAA. 

I also am working on managing my own website  (it's in the baby stages) and working on a lot of other upcoming projects for this year!

So much has been accomplished thus far, and it's largely as a result of this campaign. I have decided due to it's success to keep this GoFundMe going. Why?

My future goals include:

- More successful survivor spotlights like Romy, and utilizing these funds to empower survivors that have been silenced by high control organizations or been victims of sexual abuse to seek higher education, get back on their feet, and find freedom through self expressionism.

- Founding a charity for survivors of High Control Organizations based on this GoFundMe so that they may recieve:

* Educational Grants, Information on Public Aid, Mentoring/Empowerment,

* Crisis Assistance (Therapy, Emergency Housing, Safe Space, Etc.)

* Grow a support network with other charities, physicians, certified survivor mentors, and more to assist survivors nationwide.

* Nominate and fund survivors who are up and coming artists, musicians, public figures, reporters, educators, mentors, or otherwise who have overcome their pasts and grown into powerhouses who give back to their communities via their voices.

- Publishing a book of survivor's experiences, stories, artwork, poetry, and crafting featuring members of the LGBTQ community, undocumented immigrants, people of color, survivors of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and more involving what they endured, how they got through it, and how they are finding happiness, passion, and their voices now in their new lives and becoming their true selves.

- Continuing my Youtube Channel which would feature: interviews, reporting, talk segments, art spotlights, poetry readings, and focus on humanizing and really exploring in-depth feelings and realizations people have realized since leaving High Control Organizations such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Scientologists, etc.

- Seeking justice for my own story, and also finding my own way into higher education in order to elevate myself beyond the situation I've been dealt, to have a happier, successful life, and do something I love!


As you can see by my previous successes I have managed to accomplished quite a lot with the funds I've received so far! It has really empowered me to keep speaking out myself, and I've gotten so many beautiful responses from survivors detailing how this campaign has encouraged them as well and how it is so needed in the community.

I see so much promise, talent, and heart in the survivor community whether it be exjw's, ex-mormons, ex-scientologists, ex-cultists, or those who have been oppressed by governments and abusive relationships. I want to help others find strength in themselves, happiness, and heart through their passions and drive them to success.

I think that the most powerful motivator for hope is setting small milestones and accomplishing them. I hope to be able to encourage people to do that, and through this GoFundMe Campaign I've been shown by the community that this IS possible. I want to bring light to peoples lives, and even more than that I want to see what they can DO! I want to hear their voice, I want to see their experiences through their art, I want to dive into their stories and live in their worlds, if only for a moment. Not just survivors of one organization, not just one story, but everyone.

I want all of us to come together and spread awareness. I want the public to as well, and for these suppressive groups and high control organizations to be stopped by all of us shouting out in unison. Perhaps it's a pipe dream, but I think it's possible, and in the meantime I am going to keep setting small goals to achieve until we get there. 

How to help:

If you are a college or institution wishing to donate grants, workshops, or otherwise please contact me.

If you are a survivor wishing to share your story or artwork with me, need assistance, or otherwise would like to contact me please email me at [email redacted].

As always, donations to help me keep the lights on as well as focus on this mission and assist survivors are incredibly appreciated.

None of this would have possible without the support of people like: Jerome Griff, Sheila Palmer, Christopher Hayes, Timothy Manion, Annie Dodd, Daniel Glorioso, Valerie Lee, Mary Ann, Mark Ehlert, Brandon Brady, Tricia Lanni, Patricia Clements, Barbara Anderson, Jennifer Stevens, Paul Carter, and other anonymous donors. 

Thank you.

There is much more to come, funding or no funding, so stay tuned! We're just getting started.

Warmly,

Chessa Manion