The Radical Resilience Project: ‘What we do is not being done like this anywhere else’

“The Radical Resilience Project was a long time coming,” say Bryony and Meg. “It came about through joy, through rage, through humour, through frustration, through pleasure, through pain, through honesty and through trust – through the deepest need to change what has not been working for such a long time.”

An organisation aiming to change systems, create new structures, dismantle rape culture and support survivors of sexual violence, the Radical Resilience Project (RRP) is led by 33-year-old Bryony and 28-year-old Meg.

As survivors themselves, the pair wanted to create an organisation that was run by and for survivors. The RRP is offering practical emotional and financial support outside of the mainstream services, as well as advocating through writing, talks, training, consultancy and campaigns.

“We wanted to tackle the root of rape culture and violence towards women,” says Meg and Bryony. “It was something we had discussed in different forms over the years through our recovery and when working together in other organisations and projects.

“There are many charities, organisations and campaigns talking about women’s safety and male violence right now. But we need a platform that centres us in being in control of how we support ourselves and what we want to say.”

The pair started RRP with a fund following recovery from burn out and C-PTSD and leaving intense working situations. The fund was a way for Meg and Bryony to practically support survivors through grants.

“As working-class survivors, we saw the need in our own recoveries for a fund that offers no-strings-attached grants to support survivors to actually afford things that help self-care, whether that is phone credit, a new pillow, a class, some nice food, a new book,” the pair say.

The Radical Resilience Project was funded by Bristol-based Meg and Bryony

They also created a space for survivors to recover through mutual support – through power, agency and honesty.

“There are many charities, organisations and campaigns talking about women’s safety and male violence right now, but we need a platform that centres us in being in control of how we support ourselves and what we want to say,” say Meg and Bryony.

“We need to be in charge of telling and sharing our experiences. We know our needs, we know what keeps us safe, we know what needs to change and we know what will work. We want to be leading on this. Not someone deciding for us.”

As well as supporting survivors, RRP is also tackling the root of the problem: rape culture and violence towards marginalised genders.

With increased awareness for men around the issue following the murder of Sarah Everard and the release of statistics showing that 97 per cent of women have been sexually assaulted, Meg and Bryony have also launched a new course.

“One problem we see very clearly is that so many men do not fully understand rape culture or how serious male violence actually is,” they say. “We need men to enter this conversation now. Many men feel like it’s not their issue because they feel they are respectful to women and view us as equals, but it is deeper than that. We need you to know that you are part of the problem by not being part of the solution.

“If you are serious about wanting women to be safe then you need to take action, starting by understanding what the roots of the issues are and what you can do to change them.” ‘

The pair have launched a course for men following recent events

The Emergency Men’s Learning Course will take place over four weeks and be a non-judgemental and compassionate space for men to learn about male violence, sexism and rape and offering resources and learning tools.

Having been running for a year already, the pair have big plans for the next two years. While this course is in direct reaction to ongoing events, Meg and Bryony have big projects in the works for the two years. They are currently raising £5,000 to make this happen and are selling tickets for the Learning Course.

“What we do is not being done like this anywhere else,” says the pair.

“This is the project and support we would have wanted to see when we were recovering from sexual violence and rape.”

All photos: The Radical Resilience Project

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