Devonshire Freemasons in association with the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) were very pleased to present Devon's SAFE Foundation Charity with a donation of £60,000, which will be paid over a period of three years and provide guaranteed income for a Charity whose aim is: “Break the cycle of abuse”.
SAFE Foundation is a charity with a bold vision. They are one of the leading domestic abuse recovery organisations in Devon and beyond.
The charity exists to tackle the impact of childhood trauma that affects over 8.4m people in the UK alone. By pursuing their mission of developing pioneering therapy, delivering training, undertaking research and working with partners and policymakers to build a movement to innovate approaches to trauma recovery.
In Devon around 1600 individuals / 170 families were assisted last year, quite an achievement. Records suggest that around 75% of their Clients are Female.
Assistant Provincial Grand Master Devonshire Freemasons Tim Golder said:
The grant given by the MCF to SAFE is substantial and demonstrates the seriousness of the issue of abuse and Freemasons' commitment to tackling it.
The cycle of abuse often begins at a young age and SAFE is attempting to break this cycle at an early stage by offering help to adults and children, not only to those being abused but also the perpetrators of abuse.
SAFE Programme Development Lead and Therapist Lucy Skye said:
Flourishing Futures (FF) will support young people aged 8-18 who have experienced trauma, domestic violence and abuse (DVA), to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Experiencing DVA is a key predictor for serious youth violence (Home Office 2019). We know that experiencing DVA as a child or young person can set up the trajectory into offending behaviour or victimisation in later life - we want to reduce the risk of exploitation and violence.
FF will lead to emotional and practical change including increase in feeling safe, expressing emotions healthily, reduction in agency support and decrease in risky/offending behaviours.
Working partnerships with schools, education staff will expand their knowledge on supporting young people and can share this learning across the school community
By working toward a shared understanding of what sits behind presenting behaviours, we will reduce the demonisation of young men, leading to safer communities. With evidence of impact, FF has the potential to be hugely influential across sectors, supporting young men, developing organisational trauma-responsive approaches, reducing youth violence, and breaking intergenerational cycles of harm.
We want to create shared knowledge, language and collaborative structures around trauma and can support organisations to directly deliver FF themselves.
Lucy added:
The Domestic Abuse Act now recognises children as victims in their own right. Young people tell us they want to feel heard and be seen. They want to have an outlet to share their truth, connect with others and hear their stories, to use their experiences of recovery to support and empower others. They are the future to unite hearts and minds.
Our evidence gathered so far shows our support stimulates long-term healing and recovery, strengthening families by promoting autonomy, growing trust and stability, redefining a young person’s experience of healthy relationships. By reducing the likelihood of young people repeating devastating patterns of harm the intergenerational cycle of violence is broken, creating sustainable change, healthy individuals and a thriving society.
Charity has always been a core principle of Freemasonry, and Devonshire’s Freemasons contribute to the Masonic Charitable Foundation nationally. Over the last 300 years Freemasons have established a number of charities – including schools, care homes and a hospital. The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) was created in 2016 and brought together the work of four separate charities: The Freemasons’ Grand Charity, The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, The Masonic Samaritan Fund and the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution
Funded entirely through the generosity of Freemasons and their families, the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country and aims to build better lives by enabling opportunity, advancing healthcare, education and promoting independence.
