Our Wave Provides Anonymous Space For Sexual Assault Survivors To Share Stories

In February 2024, GrepBeat writer Tori Newby profiled Our Wave, the Raleigh-born nonprofit giving survivors of sexual assault an anonymous place to share their stories. The piece follows co-founder and executive director Kyle Linton from the personal moment that started it all to his hopes for the organization's growth.

From a Friend's Call to a Movement

In 2018, Kyle learned that a close friend had been sexually assaulted. Overwhelmed by anger and sadness, he chose to turn that energy into something constructive. Together with co-founder and CTO Brendan Michaelsen, he built the technology behind Our Wave. GrepBeat described how survivors submit stories to the anonymous forum, where the team reviews and publishes them, then sends personalized resources to support each survivor's healing.

Why Anonymity Opens the Door

Kyle explained that viral movements like #MeToo encouraged many survivors to speak up, but not everyone feels safe sharing in front of friends and family. Our Wave was built for those survivors, giving them a voice without exposing their identity. The platform had also recently launched an anonymous Q&A space, where the research team answers questions that survivors haven't been able to ask anywhere else. Kyle compared the tone of those answers to "an educated older sister," kind and loving, he told GrepBeat.

Research, Partners, and Community

The article highlighted Our Wave's research team, led by Laura Sinko, PhD, a trained nurse with expertise in mental health and sexual assault. The team was exploring a study on child-on-child sexual abuse, a topic Kyle said has received little academic attention. GrepBeat also noted partnerships with organizations serving specific survivor communities, including Me Too and NO MORE, which offer the forum on their own platforms. A remote group of volunteers in India, the United Kingdom, and across the United States supports marketing, social media, and research.

Kyle shared one survivor's journey as a sign the work matters. Months after first sharing, that survivor returned to update their story, now working with a trauma therapist and supporting others.

Read the full story in GrepBeat.