Preventing Child Abuse: Trainings Available

Being a Facilitator of Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children program is a great feeling.  I am making a difference in the life of a child by teaching adults to recognize, prevent, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

It’s been 3 months since I started this journey.  In that time, I have completed four trainings, reaching 110 people.

The Darkness to Light Organization tells us that 5% of the county needs to be trained before this issue is viewed as a movement.  That means that 31,350 people in Bucks need to be trained.

That’s a big job. So, I have invited several organizations county-wide to join a coalition.  Together, we will create structure for this program so it will flourish.

Next Steps

  • May 21, 2013:  On May 21, we will meet at the Central Bucks Family YMCA to discuss additional D2L facilitator trainings.  Many people have stepped forward and requested to be trained as Facilitator’s, but to train them, we need to secure additional funds (i.e., donations, grants etc.).  If you share our passion for protecting children and creating a healthier community, we could use your help with this.  For more information in this program please review the website www.D2L.org or contact me at rmolyneux@cbfymca.org.
  • May 29, 2013:  Attend our next Stewards of Children training on Wednesday, May 29 from 6:15-9:15 pm in the Teen Center at the Central Bucks Family YMCA.  To register, please contact Debbie Tettemer at dtettemer@cbfymca.org. I hope to see you there as you learn how to empower yourself to prevent child sexual abuse,

Parting Thoughts
The D2L website posts “Tips for Courage” that I would like to share with you.  When you need to speak to children about difficult topics like abuse, please keep them in mind.

  • You may feel nervous or unsure about talking with your children.  And yet, remember and feel who you are to them.  You are their mother, their father, their grandparent, their teacher, etc.  For a moment consider the faith, trust and hope your child puts in you-and claim it inside yourself.  This is the foundation of your conversation.
  • Consider how you want the child to experience the conversation.  Do you want them to feel confidant? Affirmed? Cared for?  A rapport of trust and agreement?  This intention will provide the spirit of the conversation-and the spirit of your conversation will be a large part of what your child remembers.  The child will remember most how he or she felt in the conversation.
  • Remember that you don’t have to cover everything at once.  In fact, it’s better that sexual abuse and body safety is an ongoing dialogue.
  • For older children use TV shows, news reports, and current events as opportunities for discussion.  For younger children, be creative about bath time, dressing and even play to give positive messages about bodies and boundaries.

About the Contributor:  Rosemarie Molyneux has been involved with the YMCA for the past 33 years.  Her career began with the Philadelphia Metro YMCA prior to coming to the Central Bucks Family YMCA (www.cbfymca.org) in 1995 as the Associate General Director.  She is proud of the CBFYMCA’s commitment to the community.  She recently became a facilitator for the “Stewards of Children,” an awareness program to encourage Bucks County to become more involved in recognizing, preventing and reacting responsibly to child sexual abuse.  This program is run in partnership with NOVA (www.novabucks.org).  Most importantly, she is a proud mom (two daughters) and grandmother (two beautiful grandchildren).  This encourages her to stay in shape in order to keep up with her growing family!

About the Blog:  Positively Bucks County is the official United Way of Buck County blog. We focus on the news, tips, tricks and ideas from the people and organizations that make Bucks County a better place.  To learn more about United Way of Bucks County, visit www.uwbucks.org.  If you are interested in becoming a contributor, contact Marissa Christie at marissac@uwbucks.org.

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