The Organization of Student Social Workers at Missouri Western State University is sponsoring a “Stewards of Children” workshop, designed to equip people to prevent child sexual abuse. The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 7 in Blum Union, room 222. It is free and open to the public, but preregistration is requested. Email Marnice Willis at mwillis5@missouriwestern.edu.
The training was created by Darkness to Light, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of child sexual abuse. The two-hour training uses survivor stories and expert insight to supply practical steps to help participants prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.
The training may be of particular interest to employees and volunteers in youth-serving organizations, parents, educators, childcare providers and faith centers. To date, more than 250 adults in Buchanan County have participated.
The workshop is facilitated by Joyce Estes and Lisa Rock. Estes is executive director and Rock is board president of the Northwest Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center.
Darkness to Light has championed the movement to end child sexual abuse since its founding in 200. With affiliates in all 50 U.S. states and 16 additional countries, D2L provides individuals, organizations and communities with the tools to protect children from sexual abuse. To date, the D2L network of 6,000 authorized facilitators has trained over 500,000 parents, youth-serving professionals and organization volunteers in D2L’s award-winning “Stewards of Children” child sexual abuse prevention program.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.