Protecting Our Future

DARKNESS TO LIGHT

THE STATISTICS ARE STARTLING: 1 IN 10 CHILDREN ARE SEXUALLY ABUSED BEFORE THEIR 18TH BIRTHDAYS.

Children are victims in nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults. In more than 90% of these cases, the abuser is someone the child knows and trusts.*

But there is good news, too. The Old Colony YMCA has partnered with Darkness to Light, a nationally acclaimed non-profit, to bring its award-winning prevention program, Stewards of Children, to our community. Stewards of Children is a 2-hour training designed to educate adults on how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, emphasizing child safety as every adult’s responsibility. Our goal is simple: to educate and prepare our community to deal with and prevent child sexual abuse.

STEWARDS OF CHILDREN

The YMCA is able to provide Stewards of Children training free of charge thanks to grants awarded from the Redwoods Foundation, the United Way of Greater Plymouth County, Community Connections of Brockton, as well as individual donations. Training is open to the public and may be of specific interest to youth sports organizations, coaches, camp counselors, teachers, schools, faith centers and other service organizations. Training facilitates discussion about the incidence and consequence of abuse and present information about child protection policies, mandates and prevention techniques. Stewards of Children workshops can be requested by any local group and the YMCA will host open community training on a regular basis. Continuing education credits for professionals in various fields can be obtained through this training.  

*All statistics provided by Darkness To Light

FREE UPCOMING STEWARDS OF CHILDREN TRAINING

In addition to "live" training led by one of our authorized facilitators, an online training option is available, also for our community adults.

For more information, to register, or to set up a private training for your organization or business, contact Old Colony Y's Vice President of Child Protection and Community Based Child Care, Kim Moran, to assist with any questions you may have: 508-583-2155 ext. 257.

Darkness To Light is a non-profit organization whose mission is to diminish the incidence and impact of child sexual abuse so that more children will grow up healthy and whole. Darkness to Light developed Stewards of Children, a training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

The Old Colony Y is dedicated to training our community and spreading knowledge about sexual abuse. Through community training, we hope to decrease the number of children being abused and educate adults about the signs to look for in children that are being abused. If you are interested in attending one of our Darkness To Light community training, please speak with a member of our Welcome Center staff at any of our branches today!