Reclaim. Rewrite. Release.
Empowering adult survivors of child sexual abuse and trauma to reclaim their bodies and rewrite their stories.
Upcoming programs
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Randomised Control Trial
Commencing September 2024
We are running a number of programs as part of a randomised control trial in partnership with the University of Melbourne. Recruitment is now open.
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Manningham and Glen Eira
15 Feb - 5 April 2025
We are now accepting expressions of interest for our upcoming programs in Manningham and Glen Eira. Places are limited. Register your interest to find out more.
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Join the waitlist
If you would like us to set up a program near you, please join our waitlist and let us know where you are based.
This information will help us to demonstrate the need for our program in your suburb as we seek to raise funding.
Watch Left Write Hook at a cinema near you
Limited sessions and tickets remaining. Don’t miss your last chance to see the award-winning Left Write Hook documentary on the big screen.
Latest news
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Expressions of interest open for February 2025 programs
We are now accepting expressions of interest for our upcoming programs in Manningham and Glen Eira.
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Watch Left Write Hook at a cinema near you
Limited sessions and tickets remaining. Don’t miss your last chance to see the award-winning Left Write Hook documentary on the big screen.
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Left Write Hook featured on The Project
Transforming Trauma: The Boxing Writing Workshop for Survivors - Left Write Hook feature story on Channel 10's The Project.
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Left Write Hook documentary wins MIFF 2024 Audience Award
“We have shined a spotlight on shame. We have made something beautiful out of something sad and tragic. I’m so proud of our commitment and bravery.”
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Australian Combat & Exercise and LWH announce education partnership
This collaboration will provide specialised boxing education, equipping LWH facilitators with essential skills to lead their recovery programs.
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World premiere of Left Write Hook documentary
Today is the world premiere of the Left Write Hook documentary. The film will play at a black-carpet event presented by DECJUBA.
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Are you eligible for our upcoming research trial?
Recruitment is open for our randomised control trial with the University of Melbourne.
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MIFF tickets are on sale today
It's the time we've all been waiting for - tickets for the Left Write Hook documentary are now on sale!
Our impact to date
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68
victim-survivor participants have completed the our flagship 8-week program. This number continues to grow.
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14
individuals with lived/living experience have been upskilled to become Left Write Hook facilitators with over 285 hours of training.
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10
programs have been delivered across various Melbourne suburbs.
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> 50%
of our participants return for a second or third program.
Our work is informed by real-world research
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There is a drop in participants’ scores, showing marked improvements in mental health.
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There is a clear reduction in complex PTSD symptoms, helping survivors regain control over their lives.
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Cognitive responses to trauma have improved, indicating healthier processing and coping mechanisms.
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Cognitive responses to trauma have improved, indicating healthier processing and coping mechanisms.
Praise for
Left Write Hook
“Left Write Hook felt like I untangled my trauma from its tight little ball inside my chest - and when I spoke the thread of my experience connected with the experiences of other women - I realised this thread ran through not just my body but the bodies of other survivors.” - Erica
Left / Write // Hook: Survivor Stories from a Creative Arts Boxing and Writing Project
A curated book of writings that traces the profound impact of child sexual abuse and trauma on the lives of survivors and the positive impact of writing, boxing and peer support.
Left Write Hook in the media
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The Project
Transforming Trauma: The Boxing Writing Workshop for Survivors
Just a few years ago, Donna Lyons founded Left Write Hook, a boxing and writing workshop, that is helping transform the lives of survivors of complex traumas, empowering them to take back their power.
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ABC news
Left Write Hook follows survivors of childhood sexual abuse reclaiming power through boxing
Left Write Hook's first 20 minutes are visceral, to the point that the documentary's producers questioned whether they could push audiences away entirely.
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Minderoo Foundation
The individual and collective: co-creating social impact to transform trauma
“Over the past five years, I’ve used my lived experience as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, my stint in amateur boxing, and my professional identity as an academic and filmmaker to turn a grassroots project into a research initiative, a documentary, a book, and now a survivor-led charity.”
Our partners
