25 year old Laura Currer is launching a new foundation this summer designed to help victims of trauma return to everyday life, enjoy new things and get their sparkle back.
The motivation for the foundation comes from Laura’s own experiences, after she was raped in 2015. Determined not to let this experience shape her life or become the defining trait of her personality, she worked hard to recover from her trauma.
Although she had many interactions with police, legal professionals, health professionals and counsellors, Laura believes that these support networks were just a small part of her overall recovery, and the things that had the most profound effect on Laura’s recovery process were the simple things, when she was alone – driving, working, crafting or lifting weights.
“I am an aunty, a sister, a daughter, a niece, a friend,” Laura says. “I am all of these things and more, and although two people did something truly awful to me, they do not get to take all of these things away, realising that, is where the magic lies, that is how you take your power back.”
Laura soon realised that she could channel her own experiences of trauma and recovery to help others through traumatic experiences, by creating a network that did not dwell on or attempt to ‘solve’ what had happened, but instead focused on the person – their loves, their skills, their passions, their health and wellbeing.
The Laura Currer Sparkle Foundation launches on 20 August 2018 (three years to the day since Laura’s own traumatic experience) and is a membership organisation offering an online support network, monthly meet ups around specific activities across the North East of England, plus a specialist app featuring curated playlists, work out routines, mindfulness tips, recipes and more. The Foundation aims to encourage victims of trauma to reconnect with themselves, giving themselves permission to enjoy everyday activities without the guilt, shame or anxiety that often follows a traumatic event.
Laura is keen to reach out to anyone who has experienced a traumatic event and who is struggling with the normality of life again, “My experience was of sexual violence, others will have very different experiences. We don’t need to know what brings you to us, but we want you to know that we see you. We understand your struggle, we respect you, and we celebrate you. In your quiet moments, and the real moments of power and celebration, we are with you.”
