Community
The Children’s Advocacy Center of SWFL provides community education for adults and children including: Stewards of Children by Darkness to Light, and Monique Burr Foundation Child Prevention education. These evidenced based programs provide adults with education to better understand how to prevent abuse, recognize red flags, and know how to respond to a child who might disclose abuse; and children with the tools to protect themselves. Our Community Awareness and Outreach Team offers this education with the support of a generous donation from the Bobby Nichols-Fiddlesticks Charity Foundation.
“1 in 10 children will be sexually abused by their 18th birthday. The burden of prevention and protection must sit squarely on the shoulders of adults who are legally and morally responsible for the health and safety of children. Adult education is key to preventing child sexual abuse” (Darkness to Light, 2023).
Darkness to Light training is offered monthly in Fort Myers, and privately by request to organizations, church congregations, parent groups, and youth serving organizations.
To find out more information or to request training for your organization, please contact our Outreach and Awareness Team at Outreach@cac-swfl.org or for a public training offered monthly, see the pink button.
What is it?
- It is a one-time training session
- Around 2.5 hours in duration
- Features a combination of 6 short videos with group discussion
- Can be used for continuing education credits for professionals.
Monique Burr Foundation:
The Monique Burr Foundation’s prevention education offers a variety of age-appropriate educational trainings for children in grades K-12 and an after-school education that can be utilized during summer or in an after-school program. In-school, the lessons are comprised of two 55-minute or four 30- minute sessions. In the after-school programs, the lessons are completed in six individual sessions arranged however best suits your organization’s hours of operation.
To find out more information or to request training for your organization, please contact our Outreach and Awareness Team at Outreach@cac-swfl.org.
MBF Child Safety Matters® is a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum for elementary school students in grades K-5.
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The program educates and empowers children and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, all types of abuse, and digital abuse dangers” (Monique Burr Foundation, 2023, Child Safety Matters).
MBF Teen Safety Matters® is a comprehensive, evidence-informed prevention education program for middle school and high-school students.
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The program educates and empowers teens and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, all types of abuse, relationship abuse, digital dangers, exploitation, and human trafficking” (Monique Burr Foundation, 2023, Teen Safety Matters).
MBF After-School Safety Matters® is a comprehensive, evidence-informed prevention education for youth in after-school programs.
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The program teaches children and adults how to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to the four types of child abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, neglect), bullying, cyberbullying, and digital dangers. It is presented to youth in grade-level clusters (K-2, 3-5, and 6-8) with 6 topic-specific lessons (30 – 60 minutes each) by trained facilitators using a turnkey script. The lessons include lectures, group discussions, skills-practice activities, games, and crafts” (Monique Burr Foundation, 2023, After-School Safety Matters).
"Canterbury School is truly grateful for the invaluable time and expertise provided by the MBF Child/Teen Safety Matters® program from the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. This program has opened up new and important conversations among our students and families, filling a gap that we didn't even know existed in our school's mission to enrich the lives of our students. We are proud to partner with MBF and look forward to continuing our collaboration to promote the safety and well-being of our students."
Jessica BensonDirector of Health and Safety at Canterbury School
Community Outreach Events
CAC frequently attends both public and private events within the community to raise awareness of our mission and services. Often, you can find one of our Beesley’s Paw Prints Pet Therapy Teams with us at our tables. A calendar of events can be found on our events page: https://www.cac-swfl.org/events/
Our Community partner and generous supporter.
References
- Darkness to Light. (2023). Our Education. Darkness to Light End Child Sexual Abuse. https://www.d2l.org/education/
- Monique Burr Foundation. (2023). MBF Child Safety Matters. Monique Buff Foundation for Children Prevention Education Programs. https://www.mbfpreventioneducation.org/why-use-our-programs/mbf-child-safety-matters/
- Monique Burr Foundation. (2023). MBF Teen Safety Matters. Monique Buff Foundation for Children Prevention Education Programs. https://www.mbfpreventioneducation.org/why-use-our-programs/mbf-child-safety-matters/
- Monique Burr Foundation. (2023). MBF After-School Safety Matters. Monique Buff Foundation for Children Prevention Education Programs. https://www.mbfpreventioneducation.org/why-use-our-programs/mbf-child-safety-matters/
