FirstSigns Re-launches with New Logo

FirstSigns Returns to Being a ‘Voluntary Organisation’

UK - 19 Dec 2007 - FirstSigns, the user-lead self-injury awareness organisation, re-launched their website today with a fresh new logo and a renewed commitment to provide excellent information to people who self-injure and healthcare professionals, for free.

Founded in 2002, the FirstSigns Voluntary Organisation promotes awareness and understanding about self-injury and the associated emotional matters, and is run by volunteers with personal experience of self-injury.

The re-launch is, in part, necessary because FirstSigns has returned to being a 'voluntary organisation' rather than a charity. Having registered as a charity in England and Wales in 2006, recent experiences have led FirstSigns back to being a voluntary organisation.

“We don't consider it a step back,” said Wedge, the founder of FirstSigns, “rather, it's about the learning process. We've learned a great deal about organisation structure and real-world politics in these last eighteen months or so, but it had become apparent that the charity status wasn't working in our best interests. As a charity, we had begun to move into too many commercial ventures, and had lost sight of our original goal which is to provide guidance and information to people of all ages and to health care workers.”

Self-injury is still a misunderstood behaviour, that can affect people of any age from any background; FirstSigns considers self-injury to be a coping mechanism – a learned behaviour that brings temporary relief to an individual under tremendous internal stress. The FirstSigns organisation believes that people can choose to move away from self-injury, to seek alternative ways of coping, but that it is counter-productive to demand that people simply 'stop'.

“No one should have to be ashamed of their feelings,” explained Wedge, “we need to support people as they make new choices about their emotional wellbeing. We can't expect people to change overnight, but we can help them seek health and happiness and learn new ways to cope and manage their lives.”

The FirstSigns organisation will continue to work with the media and will support other organisations and charities by providing excellent information, challenging perspectives and ideas, and nation-wide self-injury awareness training.

The FirstSigns Newsletter has been re-launched as 'LifeSHINES' to mark their change in organisational structure, and with Self-Injury Awareness Day (1st March) fast approaching, there will be a great deal of new material published on the website and within LifeSHINES.

FirstSigns can be found at www.firstsigns.org.uk and has a vibrant website for health care practitioners and people who hurt themselves.