1BlueString

Research suggests that at least 1 in 6 men have had unwanted sexual experiences, including abuse and assault in their lifetime. The 1BlueString campaign asks guitarists to replace one of their six strings with a blue string in support, representing the 1 in 6.

1 Blue String was originally conceived by our friends at www.1in6.org, an organisation in the USA founded in 2007 in response to a lack of resources addressing the impact of negative childhood sexual experiences on the lives of adult men, one of many under-recognized aspects of childhood sexual abuse. As one our ‘best friends’, 1in6 invited We Are Survivors (then known as Survivors Manchester) to be part of this campaign and charged us with managing the UK and European arm. Then in mid 2017, 1in6 moved the whole campaign to We Are Survivors and we proudly took on the cause.

Our work on the campaign has included continuing to support annual events in the USA, particularly on University and college campuses; but also here in the UK where we have held a number of events, including Manchester’s Got Busker Talent!

For centuries music has allowed people to express themselves in ways that transcends culture and language. Engaging musicians to be part of the campaign was and remains to this day hugely important and that simple act of changing 1 string for a blue one is so powerful. Over the years, we have been sent a number of videos from people, playing their guitars and making music, breaking that silence and making sure that the 1 in 6 men in the UK and across the world ‘hear our song’.

For more information, check out our specific website at www.1bluestring.org.uk