One in Four Annual Review 2023

Life is not linear – our paths are winding. Sometimes people lose their way due to debilitating traumas that create obstacles that have to be navigated. But thankfully there is support out there to help untangle the obstructions and show people the way to a better quality of life.

One in Four is an Irish charity supporting adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Their vision is a society where children are safe from the threat of sexual harm. The brief for the 2023 Annual Review was ‘Building Resilience’. This document had to express the inherent resilience of survivors of childhood sexual abuse, while also showcasing how One in Four has nurtured and enhanced this innate strength. 

I was inspired by a line Patsy McGarry wrote in The Irish Times; ‘I remain amazed at the resilience of survivors - women and men who survive all that to live calm, ordinary, fulfilling lives. Wounded, but unbowed’.

A linear style of illustration was created for this annual review to show how individuals draw upon an inner wellspring of resilience to navigate their healing. A series of vignettes depicting ordinary life activities were illustrated and interspersed with scribbled tangles (representing trauma) to demonstrate how survivors can persist, adapt, and grow in the face of adversity, with the support of One in Four.