Share Your Story as a Victim Impact Panel (VIP) Speaker in Tennessee
Do you have a story about how you or your family have been impacted by an impaired driver or an underage drinking incident? Did you know that MADD Victim Impact Panels can provide a positive healing experience to victims and survivors of these crimes? At MADD, we consider a victim or survivor to be:
• An individual who is injured in an impaired driving crash
• A family member of an individual killed or injured in an impaired driving crash
• A family member whose loved one was killed due to an underage drinking incident
• A family member whose loved one was injured due to an underage drinking incident
• A friend or coworker or acquaintance of an individual killed or injured in an impaired driving crash
• Someone whose property was damaged in an impaired driving crash but who wasn’t physically injured
• Neighbors, witnesses, first responders or even media personnel who have been affected by witnessing or hearing about an impaired driving crash.
MADD Victim Impact Panels give people opportunities to speak about their reactions to specific events in order to individualize and humanize the consequences of drunk/drugged driving and underage drinking, to change attitudes and behaviors, to deter drunk and drugged driving recidivism, and to foster healing of those impacted by crashes.
Statistical analyis confirms that VIP paricipation may benefit victims and survivors in severals ways. It can foster better adjustment by allowing victims to feel more in control of their lives. It may help them build supportive relationships with other panelists which enhances their self-confidence. Finally panel participation may produce anger reduction by providing a positive method of coping with the traumatic event. These gains offer a positive healing effect for many participants.
If you are interested in sharing your story as a Victim Impact Panel Speaker or would like additional information, please call 800-544-6233 or email [email protected].