The Butterfly Effect Retreat Curriculum

1 in 3 women are survivors of sexual violence worldwide. Many survivors suffer in silence without resources to support their healing or a community to make them feel safe and heard. 

The Butterfly Effect retreat curriculum aims to heal the trauma of sexual violence by providing a deeply healing experience for survivors to connect through the power of their shared stories.

This curriculum is for faith-based organizations and/or churches serving survivors of sexual abuse. Designed as a step-by-step guide, the curriculum supports survivors through four different experiences over the course of 4-5 days. The curriculum also features visual poems to spark conversation and connect with the survivor's perspective. At the end of the retreat, survivors will feel heard, inspired, and transformed through the power of storytelling.

This curriculum, designed for survivors and by survivors, follows four themes captured by the metamorphosis of the butterfly:

1. Inherent Dignity (The Egg)

2. Fighting Injustice (The Caterpillar)

3. Beauty of Transformation (The Chrysalis)

4. Healed to Heal (The Butterfly)

The curriculum is presented in a way to help faith-based organizations and churches facilitate group workshops, survivor support groups, and retreats with survivors of sexual abuse. For more information, visit our website.

About the Authors:

Rebecca Crook: Rebecca's aim is to connect people to their power, purpose, and joy! She began her career as a bilingual teacher and have since designed curricula, schools, and programs to equip diverse leaders to innovate and collaborate for systems-level change across Africa. She is a proud alum of the Fulbright Program, Teach for America, Caliber Schools, SPARK Schools, and Dignitas, and is currently serving as a Teach for All Network Connector. Rebecca co-founded Metis in 2017 and loves supporting collective of leaders to transform themselves and their communities for a world where all can thrive.

Jean Nangwala: Jean Nangwala is a singer, speaker, survivor-advocate, and creative content producer. She was born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia. Her passion for social justice stems from her personal experience of injustice and witnessing the same inequality across the globe. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a minor in Media Studies. During her undergraduate studies, Jean volunteered with a juvenile facility in Cape Town, survivors of sexual violence in Nairobi, and creatives using art for community transformation in Barcelona. She has also worked with The Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission in New York City. Partnering to End Human Trafficking in Connecticut and is currently working as the Lead Storyteller for Freely in Hope located in the Bay Area. Through her experiences, she has witnessed the gravity that broken systems can have on the lives of the vulnerable. Her passion is empowering women to come together and alleviate systems that perpetuate social injustice. She loves using art to inspire others to find liberation. To learn more, check out her YouTube Channel, Tales of a Black Girl.

Magdalane Chikanya: Magdalene leads all anti-sexual violence program initiatives at Freely in Hope Zambia. As the program coordinator, she has designed the strategy of Super Girl's Revolution, a community-driven program combatting sexual violence. She holds a BA in Development Studies with over 7 years of experience.