Welcome to Unsilenced
Our Mission
Our mission is to stop institutional child abuse by empowering self-advocates to promote lasting social change.
Our Vision
We envision a world where youth are free from institutionalization and the voices of young people are respected in the development of their own mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Our Values
Social
Innovation
Inclusivity
Diversity
Transparency
Teamwork
Culture Statement
Our culture is the foundation of our organization and comes to life in everything we do. We strive for a positive and rewarding culture that gives us a motivating sense of purpose. This connects us to our mission in more meaningful ways, which deepens our impact on the community.
Overview
Unsilenced is a non profit organization that serves past, present, and future victims of institutional child abuse. One of the largest culprits of this abuse is the Troubled Teen Industry (TTI), a network of unregulated and powerful congregate care facilities that claim to reform youth struggling with mental health or educational challenges. Instead of providing therapeutic services and education to at-risk youth, many young people experience maltreatment, psychological harm, sexual and bodily assault, physical and medical neglect, civil rights violations, and in some cases, hospitalization or even death.
To foster better health outcomes for youth, without placement in the largely unregulated industry, we advocate for constructive alternatives that circumvent institutionalization and keep young people with their families and communities.
Utilizing education, awareness, community support, and policy change, Unsilenced aims to protect the civil, social, and human rights of youth.
Investigative Research
- Conduct comprehensive program-specific surveys to collect data and metrics to better understand the impact of institutional child abuse, and to help streamline the process of survivors reporting their programs.
- Investigate facilities and create impact reports to help increase transparency and accountability within the industry.
Tech
Educate, create transparency, and raise awareness through our groundbreaking program archive, which has over 100,000 DHS records, lawsuits, media, and survivor stories.
Advocacy
- Project SPEAK
- Educates caregivers, school and justice systems, medical and mental health practitioners, and child-placing agencies on the detrimental effects of institutionalization to interrupt the community-to-institution pipeline.
- Survivor Empowerment Initiative
- Provides Survivor Independence Packs for survivors who have aged out of a facility and are re-entering society after leaving the program that contains a laptop and extensive resources surrounding education, careers, reintegration into society, mental health, and life skills.
- Facilitate monthly support groups for survivors to help foster community growth and healing