#COAWeek2019: looking back on an amazing week for children affected by their parent’s drinking

#COAWeek2019 has come to a close, but, at Nacoa, activity is still in full-flow. The tenth #COAWeek saw the largest ever engagement in communities all over the globe. Cake evenings, lectures, talks in schools, sand art on Maple Beach India, and a mammoth effort in the TV and radio media all raised awareness for the hidden experiences of children affected by their parent’s drinking.

Since last Sunday, we have been inundated with support from people affected, of all ages, and those concerned for their welfare. We have seen the most amazing outpouring of support for COAs over social media, and previously unseen levels of understanding in the written press and public conversation at large.

This year we have seen awareness activities from organisations in the USA, Ireland, India, Slovenia, Switzerland and Germany. Friends at countless UK organisations—such as the Children’s Society, Alcohol Change, Institute for Alcohol Studies, Drink Wise Age Well, NICE, and Oasis Brighton—took to the media show how they support children of alcoholics.

We also used this special moment to celebrate wonderful new writing exploring the experiences of children affected by their parent’s drinking. Notably we celebrated and shared from a spellbinding new book ‘Will You Catch Me’ by Nacoa volunteer Jane Elson. Thanks to supporters at Howes and Hodder publishers, we were granted permission to share wonderful audio clips from Elson’s COA children’s novel.

As ever, our inspiring legion of volunteers make this all possible. A special mention goes to the irrepressible COA campaigner, Josh Connolly, who drove all over the country sharing the work of Nacoa. His Nacoa affiliated online community blog (a special place for people to publish their experiences as COAs), COAisathing, provided the basis for countless conversations for people and families affected.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of this year’s #COAWeek was the David Stafford Memorial Lecture held at the House of Commons in London. Such was the demand that we had to book the ‘Gladstone Room’; COAs filled, for the first time in history, the largest committee room in the Houses of Parliament. We heard wonderful speeches from a host of Nacoa patrons and supporters, Tony Adams MBE, Jonathan Ashworth MP, Calum Best, Liam Byrne MP, and Hilary Henriques MBE. The full video can be found by clicking here, or scrolling below.

Here below we share with you some highlights from #COAWeek2019. Starting out with a glowingly beautiful film exclusively made for #COAWeek by Nacoa supporters Ceri Walker and Witness BTN.

It’s #COAWeek2019 —time to draw light to the experiences of millions of children around the world affected by their parent’s drinking.
Join us to make this the biggest #COAWeek yet and help people know they’re not alone. https://t.co/0c0Ph9n3C5 pic.twitter.com/AocSEGO1ib

— Nacoa (@NacoaUK) February 10, 2019

#COAWeek2019: looking back on an amazing week for children affected by their parent’s drinking