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Child Abuse Prevention Month: Choose Your Level(s) of Involvement!
Awareness Level
Show your support and raise awareness by celebrating Blue Mondays each Monday in April, and be part of the Pinwheels for Prevention® campaign by hosting or visiting a pinwheel garden, or creating your own pinwheels! Limited quantities of pinwheels are available for purchase!
Community Engagement Level
Bring your voice to the table! Child Advocacy has many community leadership opportunities to connect with others, evaluate local data and trends, identify areas of growth, and expand knowledge. This April, the Gratiot County Substance & Suicide Prevention Coalition will focus on the connection between child abuse and substance use, and the Gratiot County Breastfeeding Coalition will be discussing trauma-informed strategies, specifically for breastfeeding mothers who have experienced childhood abuse. All are welcome!
Training Level
Kick-off Child Abuse Prevention Month by attending the Growing is a Pain: Talking to Kids About Puberty Lunch & Learn. We will learn about the importance of puberty conversations and when to have them, in addition to strategies for screening and selecting resources that should be used as a supplement – not substitution for real-deal conversations. Going beyond puberty conversations, we also offer Stewards of Children®, a child sexual abuse prevention training for adults. This training teaches the 5 steps to protecting children: learn the facts of sexual abuse, minimize opportunity, talk about it, recognize the signs of sexual abuse, and finally, react responsibly to sexual abuse should you notice boundary violations, witness abuse, or hear a disclosure. For those in professional roles, our Mandated Reporter Training goes over the responsibilities as a Mandated Reporter, identifies the different types of child abuse and neglect, provides instructions for making a report, and most importantly, helps Mandated Reporters feel more confident in their role. Not in a professional role? No problem! All are welcome to our trainings.
This April we are also highlighting QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer), suicide prevention training. There are many different risk factors for suicide, some of which have a connection to child abuse: current or prior history of adverse childhood experiences, history of depression and other mental illnesses, social isolation, violence victimization, and high conflict or violent relationships.
The “umbrella” of services at Child Advocacy is what makes us unique, and the only agency in Michigan with child abuse prevention and intervention, substance use prevention, suicide prevention, pantry programming, and advocacy support for children involved in family court, all housed in one building. We hope to see you at one of our trainings this month!
Class Level
Two brand new parenting classes make their debut this April; 24:7 Dad® and Make Parenting a Pleasure. Both classes are offered in cohorts, meaning participants begin and end the program together. 24:7 Dad® was created for dads, by dads, and is taught by a dad. It offers topics such as showing and handling feelings, discipline, children’s growth, and co-parenting. Make Parenting a Pleasure has a focus on handling stress, developing coping skills, and caring for ourselves as caregivers. It also includes lessons on communication, effective discipline, and handling your child’s feelings. Adults with children aged 8 and older are invited to Adult & Child Yoga*, with Shana Dancer of ZENlightenment Wellness Center. This fun and beginner-friendly yoga class will teach children and their adult ways to relax and reduce stress. Dedicate time for YOU by signing up for one of our classes!
*All of Child Advocacy’s programs and services are free of charge, though we are asking for a suggested donation of $15/duo for Adult & Child. All proceeds will benefit Child Advocacy’s programming!
Advocate Level
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), provides training and support to everyday citizens who advocate on behalf of children who have experienced abuse and neglect in the family court system. CASA volunteers provide a voice for these children to ensure their needs and wishes are expressed in court. You can learn more about this powerful volunteer position at one of our two CASA Informational Sessions this April.
Support Level
New this year, Community Give-Back Partners! Visit these local Gratiot County businesses on their designated Give-Back Day(s), and a portion of proceeds will be returned to Child Advocacy’s prevention services!
· Monday, April 1st-Sunday, April 7th- Biggby Coffee of Alma
· Tuesday, April 9th- The Blue Shamrock Pub
· Friday, April 19th- Bravehearts Pub
· Tuesday, April 16th - Pizza One - Alma
We are also excited to share our continued partnership with United Way of Gratiot and Isabella Counties and their Match Campaign – now in April! United Way will match EVERY donation designated to Child Advocacy during the month of April, up to $10,000!
The complete listing of Child Abuse Prevention Month activities and events can be found below. We look forward to seeing your level(s) of involvement this April! Happy CAP Month!
Morgan Rooy
CAN Program Director
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