You Can SHINE for Children as a Facilitator
In April 2019, the National Children’s Alliance launched their SHINE campaign. The ultimate goal of this national campaign is to change the dialogue surrounding child sexual abuse. For many adults, child sexual abuse is where the trauma started. Without a children’s advocacy center like KIDS Center to help, many survivors do not find their voice until adulthood. At a time when disclosures of sexual abuse and harassment are becoming more mainstream, adult survivors occupy a unique space where there are opportunities to demonstrate that healing can happen, and that hope is possible. The campaign welcomes those that are survivors as well as those that want to be allies in helping other survivors find their voice and healing.
Being an ally who supports survivors and their stories can create spaces and moments where an individual can have the opportunity, for maybe the first time, to speak out about an experience. An ally can also speak out against child sexual abuse and KIDS Center offers a way for you to do this!
Since 2005, KIDS Center has provided child sexual abuse prevention trainings using Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® curriculum throughout our community. Over the past 15 years, over 12,000 adults in Central Oregon have been trained on how to recognize sexual abuse, how to receive a disclosure, and how to report abuse responsibly! Reaching this number is really something to shout out from the rooftops! But our work is not quite done as this equates to only 5% of our adult population in the tri-counties. Here’s where you can help! We know that there is no conceivable way for our prevention team at KIDS Center to have the capacity to reach all the adults in our community. Every year, we need more individuals, who have a passion for supporting and protecting children and families, to join our efforts and become a volunteer facilitator of Darkness to Light.
Whether you are a retired teacher, first responder, parent, or concerned adult, you can help spread prevention out in our communities including our Spanish speaking communities. Imagine a community where every adult is trained in preventing child sexual abuse and is actively looking out for the safety of our children. We, at KIDS Center, believe this is a possible reality.
Join us by becoming a light in our community for survivors! Call 541-383-5958 or email rvisser@kidscenter.org to find out more about becoming a volunteer facilitator.
SHINE to be the light that survivors can turn to.
SHINE to inspire hope for survivors.
