insideKENT Magazine Issue 72 - March 2018 | Seite 138

CHARITY
OASIS DOMESTIC ABUSE SERVICE cont.
What is the charity’s history?
Oasis has been delivering services to people experiencing domestic
abuse in Kent for 24 years. Our charity began with a handful of
dedicated people opening a refuge service in 1994. Today, Oasis
delivers services to adults and children both in refuge and in the
community and we are building a dedicated approach to not only
intervening, but also preventing these issues in the future. We
would like to see an end to the issue which we work for, and every
child we teach about healthy relationships may be a step closer to
this aim.
We are overwhelmed by the support we receive from the
community and are glad to see that word of mouth about our
work often precedes us. Throughout our history we have striven
to end not only the consequences but also the causes of domestic
abuse and with your continued support we will do so until the
violence stops.
How can our readers become volunteers?
We have a range of roles including volunteering in our boutique
charity shop, as a peer mentor and even representing Oasis as an
ambassador. To find out more about volunteering at Oasis, please
email [e-mail], or telephone Dee for a chat
on 07702 201352.
138
Do you have any fundraising
events coming up?
We have a fun quiz on 28th March
2018, and another on 17th October
2018 at Grosvenor Casino,
Westwood Cross, Thanet. Tickets
are £10 and include a hot buffet. To
book, please telephone 01843
579999.
Also, we are having a charity golf
day on Friday 15th June 2018 at
North Foreland Golf Club – please
see the poster (pictured) ]for details
on how to book.
What does the future hold?
We aspire to a world free from
abusive relationships and we will
continue to provide a range of
holistic services to those affected by
domestic abuse – men, women and
children. We welcome the
recognition in recent legislation of
coercive control as a criminal
offence and we will work to raise
awareness of the fact that
controlling behaviour is a high
impact and high-risk form of
domestic abuse.
Over the year ahead, we will have a
real focus on intervening even
earlier in the lives of children and
young people. All research shows
that early trauma is deep rooted and
the effects intergenerational, plus
we have seen repeatedly that by the
age of 16 some of our clients’ lives
are already extremely complex.
Many children do not know what a
healthy relationship looks like and
we see this as evidence of a need to
offer them support before they are
impacted still further by the
complexities of adult life and those
brought about by intimate
relationships.
www.oasisdaservice.org