I Stand With Kids
September 2024September is I Stand With Kids month! Our vision for child abuse prevention is to build a community commitment for safe relationships and environments for all children. By nurturing the health of our children through child abuse prevention, we work to become stronger as a community. Help us support communities, neighborhoods, and families to be safe and nurturing places for all children.
What Does it Mean When We Say, "I Stand With Kids"?
Safe, stable, nurturing relationships are among the most powerful, protective, and healing forces in a child’s life. These relationships – fostered at home, school, and in the community – are the building blocks of a child’s physical and emotional growth. They help them to thrive and grow into healthy adults. Our community stands up and steps forward for kids.
High-Five Challenge!
Please consider a donation of $5/month to support our Safe & Strong Child© abuse prevention program.
Then, challenge 5 of your friends to donate $5/month and give virtual high-fives for a cause you care about! Let’s spread the joy together!
Your donation would aid our Safe & Strong Child© abuse prevention program which supports educating and building connections with parents, teachers, children, and other community members who work with youth.
This year we have PRIZES!
If you donate, your name goes into a drawing for an awesome prize! We will have four different prizes, one for each week of I Stand With Kids month!
You must donate between Monday at 12:00am and Sunday and 11:59pm to have your name entered into the drawing for that week’s prize.
**If you are donating by mailing a check, your name will go into the drawing of whatever week we received your check during.
We will draw and announce the winner each Monday at 12pm on our website and on social media!
Week 1 Prize: UMD Hockey Suite and $100 VISA gift card for food and drinks – WON BY ALICE S!
Week 2 Prize: Explorer Bundle with 4 2-hour stand up paddleboarding experiences from North Shore SUP and one annual MN State Park Pass – WON BY SHERYL W!
Week 3 Prize: Pet Care Basket which includes a $100 Pet Smart gift card, 3 plush dog toys, a nylabone, 4 different packages of dog treats, and 6 different cat toys
Week 4 Prize: Wellness Basket with 5 day passes to Northland gym, a 60-minute massage at Eagle’s Nest, and homemade soap by Boreal Craft Co.
If you would like to donate online, click the button below!
Otherwise, you can send a check to: 1402 E 2nd Street, Duluth, MN 55805
A Comprehensive Prevention Strategy
Our comprehensive prevention strategy includes increasing caregivers’ awareness and knowledge of protective measures they can take. Together with our Child Abuse Prevention Coalition, we provide a powerful public education message encouraging society to recognize that child sexual abuse is both everyone’s problem and everyone’s responsibility.
First Witness Safe and Strong Child© is a sexual abuse prevention program developed around the concepts of defining safe and unsafe touches, modeling steps if confronted with a situation of an unsafe touch, emphasizing that child abuse is never a child’s fault, and identifying trusted adults that children can go to. In addition to classroom presentations our prevention educators meet with teachers and caregivers to ensure that they are well-informed and get their questions answered.
Our Safe and Strong Communities Training bridges our community by building partnerships with schools, child-care centers, youth-serving agencies, hospitals, churches, and other community organizations.
We believe that child abuse is not going to stop when we simply tell children to say no, walk away, and tell an adult. Child abuse is going to stop when we as a community learn to listen to children and respond in ways that empower them.
Why Child Sexual Abuse Prevention?
The CDC found that 1 in 7 children experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year in the United States; however, this is likely an underestimate due to underreporting.
Child sexual abuse exploits children and can damage their cognitive, social, and emotional development. The effects of trauma can be short or long-term, impacting relationships, childhood development, the ability to learn, and appropriate sexual development. It can lead to acting out behaviors, self-injurious behaviors, depression, and anxiety. As a society, we have a collective responsibility to prevent child sexual abuse. We must also promote research, training, and public education to strengthen protective factors that buffer risk factors for sexual abuse.
Our online resource center has a multitude of different resources for those looking to learn more about prevention. There are also resources for if you or your child has experienced abuse.
2024 Caring Calendar
Why participate in the caring calendar?
What Can I Do?
- Talk to your local community center or church about hosting a Safe and Strong Communities training.
- Attend a Safe and Strong Child© parent session at your child’s school.
- Ask your child’s teacher, afterschool program leaders, and coaches about how they make certain that kids stay safe while in their care. Insist on background checks and Safe and Strong Communities training to ensure they are prepared to make environments safe for children.
- Contact your legislators to advocate for children.
- Give all kids in your life empowering messages.
Donate today and give virtual high-fives to a child in need!
Donate securely online or mail a check to 1402 E 2nd Street, Duluth, MN 55805.
Questions?
Contact our Executive Director, Tracie Clanaugh, at 218-727-8353 or tclanaugh@firstwitness.org