Stewards of Children The statistics are staggering.
one in ten children will be the victim of sexual abuse before the age of 18.
Of those, three in ten are under the age of eleven. Think about it. Every day of the school year, nearly 2,900 schoolaged children in Glynn County and surrounding school districts walk into a classroom weighted down by their backpack full of books and the trauma of their own abuse. Yet, all too often, it is a topic few want to discuss or even acknowledge. In its continuing efforts to elevate child abuse awareness and prevention, Safe Harbor offers Stewards of Children, a FREE, two-hour training proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes and change child protective behaviors. Appropriate for any adult, the training teaches individuals how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Andrea Belton, Program Director of Safe Harbor’s Child Advocacy Centers and Connie R. Smith Rape Crisis Centers says, “although teaching children about their bodies and boundaries is important, protecting children is an adult responsibility, and one that calls for prevention education.” As a result, Safe Harbor is aiming to train 5 percent of the adult population in Glynn County and surrounding communities with the Stewards of Children child sexual abuse prevention program. “This is a very bold undertaking,” says Kizzi Knight, Program Manager for Safe Harbor’s Child Advocacy Center in Camden County. “We’ve done the math, and we are confident that we can do this.” Knight explained. “When know that when our community meets the threshold of trained adults, the entire conversation around child sexual abuse is elevated. And when we have those conversations, that’s when we begin to make change.” As social distancing for COVID-19 remains necessary, and out of care for the health and safety of all, Safe Harbor is offering Stewards of Children trainings to the community virtually and in-person. These trainings will be LIVE, led by Safe Harbor’s Authorized Stewards of Children Facilitator, and will provide
an interactive opportunity to share, learn, and practice implementing strategies to protect children from child sexual abuse. For groups of 10 or more adults, Safe Harbor can facilitate a private Stewards of Children training for your group or organization.
Knowledge You’ll Learn • New skills to help prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse • Increased awareness of the prevalence, consequences, and circumstances of child sexual abuse • Positive change to organizational policies and procedures • Individual empowerment through a personal prevention plan
Why Attend? Child sexual abuse has devastating consequences for child victims and their non-offending family members. Research has shown that child victims suffer from trauma that often stays with them into adulthood with debilitating personal and social consequences.
Who Should Attend? The training is appropriate for parents, schools, churches, social work and healthcare professionals, and employees/ volunteers in youth-serving organizations.
For more information or to schedule a training, please contact the Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center in Glynn County by calling 912-554-0609. THE
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