Prevent Abuse and React Responsibly

Child sexual abuse lurks in so many places. Please...put policies in place in your lives that protect children and believe, believe, believe them when, if, they disclose abuse or tell you they do not like a particular person. Give your children the voice they deserve.
You can learn more about turning your good intentions for children into action: take Darkness To Light's Stewards of Children abuse prevention training for adults, live or online.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/30/us/politics/hastert-indictment.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&_r=0

On His 205th Birthday

 "Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."  

~ Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

President Lincoln had many things about which to stand firm, not the least of which was slavery. He clearly put his feet in the right place. His actions changed our culture and our country forever.
What do you stand firm about?
Put your feet in the right place and stand firm against child sexual abuse. Use your time to learn what it takes to keep kids safe, then use your voice to speak out and educate others. It's not all that hard to do.
Visit Darkness To Light - take a 2 hour training - in person or online. Many of the trainings are offered free of charge, like those we offer at the Old Colony YMCA in Massachusetts.
You can also visit Stop It Now and peruse their extensive resources.
Read, learn, share, discuss - that's what it takes to stand firm against abuse.
Put your feet in the right place; let's change our culture, our country, our world forever. Our children deserve it.

Wonderful Team!

It's been a very long time since I posted here...time for that to change!
Tonight we held our Old Colony YMCA quarterly D2L facilitator dinner meeting - gathering to share and strategize about moving our prevention efforts forward. As always, it was an informative, motivational evening. We've been making great strides with our initiative and, especially now, with the roll out of Stewards of Children 2.0, we are re-energized to move ahead and train many more community adults.
I'm so proud of this team!

Photo by Kim Moran

Right On

Stamford JCC Paves Prevention Path!

I'm so happy to announce that the Stamford, Connecticut JCC (Jewish Community Center) is the first JCC in the U.S. to attain the Partner In Prevention designation from Darkness To Light! It is also the first, and only, organization in Connecticut to have attained the designation! Partner In Prevention status is earned by an organization when at least 90% of its staff have been trained in D2L's Stewards of Children child sexual abuse prevention training for adults. Almost 100% of Stamford's staff have been trained! Additionally, the JCC has been delivering the award-winning Stewards prevention training to other organizations in the Stamford area since May 2012. To date, almost 300 adults have been trained under the JCC's tutelage.
Why am I proud? Because I am the Darkness To Light instructor who had the privilege of training the trainers, the JCC's facilitators who are now out there educating their community. The JCC's effort, under the direction of CEO, Eric Koehler, and Associate Executive Director, Nancy Schiffman, has been committed and impassioned from Day 1, an outgrowth of their belief that community adults have a responsibility to keep kids as safe as possible. It's been an honor to get to know them and to have been, even in a small way, a part of their great team.
If you would like to learn more about earning Partner In Prevention status from Darkness to Light, click here.
If you are in or near Stamford, CT and would like more info about the JCC's trainings, contact Nancy Schiffman at nschiffman@stamfordjcc.org or 203-322-7900.
My hat is off to Eric, Nancy and their entire team for turning intention into action, creating this initiative and running with it. No doubt, there will be many, many children in their sphere living safer, happier, more whole lives because of their efforts.

Syracuse Y Leads The Way In Prevention

Just a few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of traveling to Syracuse, NY to lead a Darkness To Light Facilitator Workshop. Thanks to the determined efforts of the Syracuse Y's team leaders and workshop organizers, Kelly Miner and Cheryl Walker, folks attended from near and far, representing, among others, YMCAs, social service groups and child protective services. We learned together, shared with each other and by day's end I knew that 16 more empassioned, empowered leaders were heading back to their communities well prepared to educate adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse via Stewards of Children.
Despite the long day that goes with a facilitator workshop, there is never a time when I don't leave feeling rewarded and enriched, both from having engaged with a new set of attendees and the knowledge that children in their spheres will be better served. I always hope that the workshop experience will stay with them as they pursue their prevention endeavors, knowing that, at least for 8 intense hours, they were surrounded by like-thinking people devoted to protecting kids.
Thank you, Cheryl and Kelly for a meaningful day and wonderful opportunity.

Photo: Cheryl Walker, me, Kelly Miner