Estimated 40 million Americans are victims of child sexual abuse
Learn how to help prevent child sexual abuse (CSA) and understand the impact it has on our society by registering today for an upcoming "Stewards of Children" workshop.
There are two opportunities coming up for you to learn more. Workshops are scheduled Thursday, Sept. 19, from 6-8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9-11:30 a.m. Both classes are generously hosted by Covenant Fellowship Church in Stuart. The workshop was created by Darkness to Light, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of child sexual abuse, is being facilitated by Sheila Hoadley and Helena Beers.
The training is open to the public and is a grass roots push at the community level with specific interest among parents, youth sports organizations / coaches / camp counselors, teachers / school personnel and faith centers. The two-and-a-half hour workshop is designed to educate adults on how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse. The cost of the workshop is $20 for each participant, which includes DVD presentation, interactive workbook and most importantly discussion. Please register online at httip://www.letstalkaboutcsa.com or call 772-359-7707 for details.
Charlestown, S.C., resident Ann Lee, a child sexual abuse survivor, founded Darkness to Light in 2000 and serves as the organization's president and CEO. She says public education is an essential tool to provide real impact to prevent sexual abuse of children. She points to leading research that shows educating 5 percent of a community's adult population can create a "tipping point" toward societal behavior change. This tipping point carries momentum throughout the community to further spread awareness and make preventing sexual abuse the norm.
The overall goal for Stewards of Children in Martin County is to train at least 6,750 residents. To date, more than 60 residents in the region have participated. Are you next?
Darkness to Light (http://www.darkness2light.org) has surpassed certification of 4,000 facilitators, who undergo advanced training in order to lead Stewards of Children workshops. Since its founding D2L has created ongoing public education programs across the United States, 15 countries and three languages.
Our children need your help and dedication to ending child sexual abuse. Please sign up for the next available class or donate so someone else can benefit from this source of knowledge.
This story is contributed by a member of the community and is neither endorsed nor affiliated with TCPalm.
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