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Impact Reports

2020 Our Wave Impact Report

Overview

2020 was a year of remarkable growth for Our Wave, as we more than doubled our story submissions from our first year. The influx of new voices strengthened our belief in the transformative power of shared experiences, inspiring deeper engagement across our platform. We also took a significant step forward by collaborating with a partner organization to launch our first custom storysharing platform. This partnership allowed us to reach new audiences and expand our community of support for survivors. Through it all, we remained steadfast in our mission to bring hope, healing, and empowerment to everyone who shares their journey with us.

Community

511

+315% 1

Active community members

Storytelling

76

+162%

Survivor stories shared

Platform Reach

1

Countries with shared stories2

Messages of Hope

34

+143%

Messages of hope shared

Achievements

We doubled the number of survivors sharing their stories since launch

We collaborated with a partner organization to launch our first custom storysharing platform

Thank you to our partners

Our Community

Our thriving community continues to be the bedrock of Our Wave’s success. Survivors and allies alike find strength in one another’s support, forging genuine connections that encourage personal healing and collective resilience. This sense of unity fuels our determination to improve and grow, ensuring that every survivor can feel heard, validated, and uplifted.

511

+315%

Active community members

511

+315%

New community members in 2020

Community engagement

13,104

+327%

Content views all time2

10,034

+227%

Content views in 2020

What is a view on our platform?

We define a view as a meaningful period in which a user reads or engages with content on our platform, including survivor stories, questions, and resources.

A community of support

630

+101%

Story reactions all time2

316

+1%

Story reactions in 2020

What is a story reaction?

Story reactions are pre-written messages of support that Our Wave users can send anonymously to survivors who share their story. This allows the community to show support while protecting a safe space for survivors.

Storytelling

With story submissions more than doubling in 2020, it’s evident just how powerful sharing experiences can be. Every new narrative serves as a beacon of solidarity, illustrating that survivors are never alone in their journeys. Our new custom storysharing platform, developed with a partner organization, broadened our reach and allowed more people to find the courage to speak their truth. These stories continue to break stigma and cultivate empathy, inspiring hope in both storytellers and readers.

76

+162%

Survivor stories shared

34

+143%

Messages of Hope shared

46

+475%

Messages of Healing shared

A global community of survivors

Hover over the map to explore

Country

Stories shared2

United States

76 +162%

1

Countries with shared stories2

2

+100%

U.S. states & territories with shared stories2

State/Territory

Stories shared2

North Carolina

75 +159%

Pennsylvania

1

Messages of hope shared by survivors in 2020

References & Considerations

This report encompasses data collected from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021.

All stories and messages written by survivors are used with the survivors' permission to publish.

We made significant changes to our metrics reporting processes from 2019 to 2022. Because of these changes, some metrics may contain inaccuracies when compared to later years.

1 Comparison to the same metric during the previous annual report period.

2 Aggregated metrics from the founding of Our Wave in 2019 to the end of 2020.

3 Demographic and tag data from stories submitted directly to the core Our Wave storytelling platform (community.ourwave.org)

Do you have any questions or recommendations about our data? Send us an email at [email protected].

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