A Time for Reflection and Looking Forward, Together.

In the wake of the Penn State settlement with Jerry Sandusky's victims this week, Prevent Child Abuse America released a Statement today - here - titled "A Time for Reflection and Looking Forward, Together." We hope you will take a look and let us know if you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below.

"Following the flood of attention, and funding, that child sexual abuse prevention received during the last year, some tremendous things have occurred:

- Support for the Enough Abuse Campaign from the Ms. Foundation has helped expand this community mobilization and citizen education program from MA to NJ, MD, and now NY and CA where thousands of parents, youth-serving professionals and concerned citizens are engaged  in comprehensive strategies to prevent child sexual abuse,

- Darkness to Light provided their Stewards of Children training to 130,000 adults in the last year, and certified over 1,200 facilitators of the program,

- The National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation has developed a national child sexual abuse prevention plan,

- And Prevent Child Abuse Vermont ‘s SAFE-T program reached 4,713 students, in 53 middle schools across VT, and 1,428 adults through 39 trainings for parents, teachers school staff, and administrators."

Awaken to Change - Child Sexual Abuse Prevention.

Awaken to Change - The National Conference for America's Children

Prevent Child Abuse America's 2012 National Conference

October 12-15 - Jacksonville, Florida

As Prevent Child Abuse America celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2012, it will offer a national conference unlike any other. From October 12-15, 2012, Prevent Child Abuse America will integrate emphases on healthy child development, public policy, what's working in child abuse and neglect prevention, and the latest on messaging and corporate responsibility.

Recognizing that each of us play a role in ensuring the healthy development of our nation's children, the conference will blend hands-on training for professionals who work with families and run non-profit agencies, with broad discussions on the impact our work has on the neighborhoods and communities in which we live, and the future of our country as a whole.

Conference Highlights with a Focus on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention 

• Workshop A04: Integrating Child Sexual Abuse Prevention into Home Visits
• Workshop B04: Early Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Using the Care for Kids Program: The Importance of Education Children and Adults
• Workshop C04: Public & Permanent: How to PREVENT digital problems
• Workshop D02: Mobilizing Case Study II: The ENOUGH Abuse Campaign
• Workshop D04: Determining the Critical Components for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
• Workshop E04: Comprehensive Legislation for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: One State's Story
• Workshop F04: Impact of Pornography on Children, Youth and Culture
• Workshop G04: Understanding Child Sexual Abuse From an Ecological Lens: An Examination of the Impact of Culture on Child Sexual Abuse and Strategies
• Workshop H04: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations: The Power of Combining Knowledge and Stong Policies
• Workshop I04: The National Plan to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Plus much more - 100+ break out sessions, networking, and Jacksonville's family friendly attractions. Find descriptions of all sessions in the Conference Registration Book, which can be downloaded here.  

  Questions? email Robert Allen at rallen@preventchildabuse.org

Hurry and Save! The Early Bird discount has been extended through August 12!

Awaken to Change - Moving the Movement.

Awaken to Change - The National Conference for America's Children

Prevent Child Abuse America's 2012 National Conference

October 12-15, Jacksonville, Florida

As Prevent Child Abuse America celebrates its 40th anniversary, it will offer a conference unlike any other. From October 12-15, Prevent Child Abuse America will integrate emphases on healthy child development, public policy, what's working in child abuse and neglect prevention, and the latest on messaging and corporate responsibility.

Recognizing we each play a role in ensuring the healthy development of our nation's children, the conference will blend hands-on training for professionals who work with families and run non-profit agencies, with broad discussions on the impact our work has on the neighborhoods and communities in which we live, and the future of our country as a whole.

Conference Highlight with a Focus on Moving the Movement - The National Movement for America's Children

• Workshop B02: Movement Case Study I: The Florida Children's Movement
• Workshop C02: The National Movement for America's Children: Overview and Action Steps
• Workshop D02: Mobilizing 101 Case Study II: The ENOUGH Abuse Campaign
• Workshop E02: Mobilizing 101 Case Study I: Getting Protective Factors off the Ground
• Workshop F02: Utilizing Social Media to Support, Drive Social Movements
• Workshop G02: Furthering the Movement: Prevent Child Abuse Colorado and Florida
• Workshop H02: Evaluating the Impacts of Social Movement Building: Winds of Change
• Workshop I02: Movement Case Study II: Panel Discussion

Plus much more - 100+ break out sessions, networking, and Jacksonville family friendly attractions! Session descriptions can be found in the Conference Registration Book which can be downloaded here.

Questions? email Robert Allen at rallen@preventchildabuse.org

Hurry and Save! The Early Bird discount has been extended through August 12!

The Joe Paterno Statue, Sanctions, and Looking Forward

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL, July 23, 2012 – Many will question whether Joe Paterno's statue needed to be removed from Penn State's campus; noting the important work he did for the community, the university, and the athletes he coached.

Many more will decry the NCAA and Big Ten’s decision to punish Penn State in the unprecedented fashion they have. They will say things like Penn State paid for the very investigation it is being punished for producing, a report that saved the NCAA and Big Ten countless dollars and time.

And even more will also ask why student athletes who had nothing to do with this horrible situation and the university at large should be punished for the actions, and non-actions, of the few who chose to do nothing, or worse, cover-up this case.

To make these arguments, however, is to ignore and blatantly dismiss the most important aspect of the situation: children were harmed and it could have been avoided

And because of this, there has to be not just consequences for this failure, but severe consequences. The leadership at Penn State, however, is looking forward, and we agree that to focus on these efforts, and offer our support along with the collective wisdom of our 49 state chapters nationally is the right thing to do.

We also think that this is a moment where we should all recognize that there are organizations at our nation’s universities and colleges, and in communities across the country, that have been doing the right things on behalf of children for some time; and we all should take a moment to find out more about those organizations and how to support them: 

• Our national partners Darkness to Light - here - and Stop It Now! - here -, as well as, Prevent Child Abuse America - here; and


• Local organizations in communities like yours, including the Enough Abuse Campaign - here, The SAFE-T Program - here, Healthy Families America - here, and many others you can learn more about by contacting the Prevent Child Abuse America chapter in your state - here.

"We must recognize that the sanctions imposed today begin to correct a wrong that needs to be righted,” said James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America. “We also must recognize that for the survivors of these terrible acts, it will take more than the ‘punishment’ of a university for them to heal, and our thoughts and prayers are with them. As a nation, we must ensure that the abuse of children never occurs. Prevention is possible; we know what to do, now let’s see if we have the public and political will to not just change laws, but renew our commitment to children and change the norms of a culture that allowed this to even happen in the first place."

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ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA

Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development. We believe that communities across the country are doing innovative things with great results to prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring, and what we need to do as a nation is commit to bringing this kind of ingenuity to communities everywhere. Based in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America has chapters in 49 states and over 400 Healthy Families America home visitation sites in 37 states, the Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. For more information, please visit here and here.