TELLING OUR STORY
Allen Vandever
Hello! My name is Allen Vandever. For those of you who don’t know me, I am contemporary Artist Based out of Chicago. I am a father, husband, and a son. Family and friends are very important to me. I have lived my life with the goal of making every year worthy of a good movie or a great book. I take risks, embrace adventure and live life to the fullest. And as a result, I have many wonderful stories.
Derek Hopkins
Greetings! My name is Derek Hopkins. I was born and raised in Chicago. I am a student at Columbia College Chicago and a Student-at-Large at Northwestern University. Most importantly, I am writer. I write short stories, personal essays, and poetry. I am also working on my first novel about the contemporary American Ghetto.
Childhood Fractured
Childhood Fractured is a non-profit humanities-based human rights initiative centered on preventing the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, through contemporary art. Our initiative operates on a multitude of levels in order to best foster civic engagement. We’re bringing the issues of children’s rights to light through contemporary art, writing, workshops, free artisanal coffee, music events, and much more.
The foundation of this project is a series of 14 paintings each with a written narrative meant to explore the childhood sexual abuse of artist, Allen Vandever. This contemporary artwork functions as a creative interface for the public to be made aware of the realities of childhood sexual abuse told from the male perspective and to foster constructive, critical, and positive dialogues on this topic. The artwork and their respective narratives are currently being compiled into a book. This book will also feature expository writings on the topic of childhood sexual abuse, a working understanding of current medical research, and critical analysis of what we can do as a society in relation to childhood sexual abuse and exploitation.
Furthermore, are challenging the individual and their level of awareness regarding the international epidemic of child sexual abuse, encouraging them to do the same, and engage their communities. Substantial, collaborative action is necessary if we are to ensure the psychological, emotional, and physical safety of today’s children and the generations to come.
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Becoming a HUB for like-minded organizations
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Workshops (Founders are Facilitator certified)
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Newsletters & Manuals
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Finishing & Publishing our flagship book
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Creating Artwork & Art Events
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Creating Fundraisers & Sponsorship Programs
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Create advertisement campaigns
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Continued Speaking Engagements
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Cross-Country Book Tour
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Podcasts
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Further cultivating our space as a community coffee house (the fancy coffee is always free!)
DAWN
Seion 清音
Vandever
Serving as Executive Director, her main focus is providing advocacy through organizational outreach, program development, & operational infrastructure. Her outreach with aligning organizations, connecting the community to resources that promote well-being. Her experience as an advocate within the mental health community, & insurance adminstration will serve her in creating programs centered for survivors of child sexual abuse, that include: volunteer opportunities, fundraising, & educational workshops. She holds a B.A in Vocal Performance from Columbia College Chicago (graduated 2005). She also leads our Zen Meditation Groups. Her goal is to create a curriculum that will empower survivors to become warriors, protecting the well-being of children.
STAN KRISSANOV
Howdy, I'm Stan! I am the former Business Manger and founding member. I still help out when ever possible
