Foundation helping victims of abuse gets a little celebrity endorsement, by Tara Bradbury, Telegram (November 8, 2014)

One by one, local celebrities enter the production studio — musicians like Mark Hiscock and Duane Andrews, actors like Pete Soucy, writers like Bernice Morgan.

Each comes with no expectations and perhaps not even a clear idea of what they’ll be asked to do, but all motivated by the opportunity to contribute to a cause they deem worthy.

They’re taking part in a music video for the Pathways Foundation, a non-profit organization established this summer by well-known St. John’s activist Gemma Hickey, with the goal of helping victims of abuse within religious institutions.

Hickey has made no secret of her inspiration for starting the organization, which she says will provide support groups, educational resources and referrals, among other services: she was a victim when she was younger.

“I was assaulted by a Roman Catholic priest and I’ve come out on the other side of that and I’ve worked through it in therapy,” Hickey explains.

Her case was settled out of court. “Basically I got the idea to form an organization to work towards prevention and healing for men and women who have experienced abuse from religious organizations.

“Having an organization like this to support victims and their families will help everyone come to an understanding of the residual effects of the abuse. It doesn’t just end with the survivor. It bleeds into their families.”

“There are a lot of mental health issues that come up … and so we need to keep talking about it in a respectful manner, in a sensitive way so people can be healed.,” Hickey said.

Hickey says a number of survivors of abuse have reached out to her since she established Pathways, and she has received a tremendous amount of support from religious officials, lawyers and community agencies. An organization like Pathways would have helped a lot in terms of her own healing, she says.

“This has been a very hard thing for me to deal with in my life. The only way you can really deal with it is to accept it and move on from there. It’s always with me. I think I’ve felt a lot of shame and a lot of guilt over the years. I think not being able to talk about it has certainly hurt me. I think that I felt isolated in the past because I felt there was nowhere for me to go and no one else for me to talk to who understood what I was going through. It’s really beneficial, I think, for survivors to have a place where they can go to heal on their own terms and in their own way.”

The Pathways Foundation will hold its official launch with an event at the Delta hotel in St. John’s Nov. 20, and as part of that, Hickey will be unveiling the music video. Singer/songwriter Pamela Morgan has written a song — an anthem for the organization — and the video, produced by Nine Island Productions, will feature cameos from the local celebrities. The video was filmed this week at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre and at Nine Island’s studio.

While it acknowledges the dark, the song is hopeful, with lyrics that speak of creating a pathway out of a space of pain and into one of healing and light.

"I have never shied away from darker subject matter in my songs — I'm not known for bubblegum — and this was a challenge; to strike a balance between acknowledgement and forgiveness of the crime, both necessary to the healing process."

Recruiting people to be a part of the video wasn't difficult, Hickey says, and most were eager to help out.

“Shanneyganock is always involved in doing charity work and bringing awareness to different causes, and I think (this is) a great opportunity,” says musician Mark Hiscock. “This is the first organization to bring this issue up to the public and I think it’s great to be involved in it.”

Hickey wants fellow survivors to know her story has a happy ending — she feels she has overcome the effects of the abuse, is happy with life and ready to help people get to that same place.

“There’s hope out there, and I hope that through me speaking out and through forming this non-profit (organization), that other people can be helped and find peace in their lives like I have.”