Join Five Days of Action® & Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. As part of our commitment to protecting the children in our community, we’re participating in the Five Days of Action® - a week-long campaign, from April 21-25, to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and empower and equip us all to prevent it. By taking part in this important campaign and implementing abuse prevention practices year-round, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga is committing to the safety of all children in our community.
Our Know. See. Respond. campaign is back this year, and Praesidium, Saprea, and Lauren’s Kids have shared resources to support this campaign. Know. See. Respond. is a child abuse prevention framework to help people understand and recognize signs to be able to take appropriate action.
Know
When evaluating camps, sports and other activities for your child, do you KNOW what questions to ask about abuse prevention? As parents, caregivers and trusted adults, we play a vital role in protecting children and teens from abuse. Praesidium, our partner in child abuse prevention, has compiled Key Questions to Ask: praesidiuminc.com/6-key-questions-a-parent-should-ask-of-an-organization.
See
When we SEE grooming patterns—methodical, subtle, gradual and escalating behaviors used to groom a child for sexual abuse—we can identify them, strengthen our intuition and protect children. From our partner, Saprea, learn the 6 grooming behaviors every parent or caregiver needs to know and what to do if you see them: saprea.org/blog/6-perpetrator-grooming-behaviors.
Respond
RESPONDing starts when a child or teen feels heard and is helped. How can you take action to prevent child sexual abuse? The Trusted Triangle (for younger children) and the Safety NETwork (for older children) are strategies from Lauren’s Kids Safer, Smarter Families Family Safety Toolkit. These resources are designed to help families and caregivers teach personal and digital safety in a comfortable and accessible way.
Grades K-2: safersmarterfamilies.org/grades-k-2
Grades 3-5: safersmarterfamilies.org/grades-3-5
We take our commitment to child protection seriously, and we hope you do too. Check out our protection practices here to learn more about how we keep kids safe in our region.
Take the 5 Days of Action Pledge
We pledge to protect the children we serve, and we hope you will too! Download the Pledge Card and post it in your office or sign one at our front desk. We'll be displaying these in our lobbies for 5 Days of Action. Plus, take a photo and tag us on social media. Use #FiveDaysofAction.
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