Project Paper Birds

“Look for the Helpers”

I’ve wanted to post something like this for a while, and likely will again in the future when the film is officially released. These are a few comments left by strangers regarding the film (these were all posted publicly but thought I’d blur out the usernames anyway). I’ve also received a number of heartfelt private messages, many of which are from those following this account! (Have a dedicated folder on my phone just for screenshots of kind words from over the years, so please know each one is very special to me ❤ )

Anyway, I know it sounds extremely cliche but THIS is the reason this film exists. 5 years ago, it was through anonymous online forums that I started to make sense of my experience. As time went on, these spaces continued to be a huge refuge for me while trying to navigate PTSD as a sleep deprived college student with limited resources. As much as the internet is rife with garbage and negativity, I really think we don’t stop and marvel enough about how there’s so many strangers out there willing to offer compassion, camaraderie and care to faceless usernames online. There’s no discernible gain—they just want to help. 

More specifically (oof I’m getting teared up as I type this), I think of a subreddit dedicated to survivors of childhood sexual abuse. I swear, every few days I’d read a story in there that sounded exactly like mine, and it furthered my confusion as to why such a common phenomenon wasn’t acknowledged more publicly. I owe a lot of my survival from those years to people only identified by a random string of characters. They validated my experiences and eased my shame. Every time I work on Paper Birds, I think of them, truly. I hope for this film to be my gift back (or OUR gift, as this documentary has been a team effort and how beautiful is it that so many people have taken such a stake in something they haven’t personally endured).

Anyway, in an age where we’re constantly bombarded by bad news, I offer you this quote by Mr. Rogers: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”