Residents of Drumheller and Hanna will have a chance to learn about preventing one of the most tragic things that could happen to a child.
Little Warriors is offering sessions for its Stewards of Children sexual abuse prevention workshop. The workshop will be in the Hanna Learning Centre on June 8, starting at 6 p.m. The next day, June 9, the workshop will be held at the Nacmine Community Hall at 10 a.m.
The workshop is three hours long and teaches participants how to prevent, recognize, and react to child sexual abuse.
“We educate adults to prevent child sexual abuse,” said Shannon Phelan, community relations for Little Warriors. “It empowers the participants to take action in their own lives and communities.”
Little Warriors is a national program. Anyone who works with children, such as parents, teachers, or coaches are encouraged to attend.
This is the second workshop that will be held in Drumheller. Little Warriors were asked to do a workshop here last year. From that session, a volunteer from Drumheller came forward to act as a facilitator for Little Warriors.
It is hoped that there will be four Little Warriors workshops each year in Drumheller.
An alarming statistic is that, according to Little Warriors, one in three girls and one in six boys will be sexually assaulted before their eighteenth birthday.
“There are such devastating effects of child sexual abuse. Those numbers are staggering,” said Phelan. “For myself, having a background in early childhood development and as a parent, I think if we should get people who work with children and parents to look at prevention before they have to deal with the problem head on.”
There are seven steps to help prevent child sexual abuse. Participants will learn the facts of child sexual abuse and talk to their children.
“It’s not a one-time discussion, it’s an ongoing message. You want to be able to prepare them to go out into the world,” said Phelan. “If they know what it is and what to look for, isn’t it great that we’ve equipped them.”
To register for either session visit register.littlewarriors.ca/prevention_program/schedule or by calling 1-888-440-1343.
