On Oct. 17 at the Third Street Center, the community is invited to attend Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children, a free, bilingual training on the prevention of child sexual abuse. The event starts at 5:30pm with a community dinner, followed by training from 6 to 8pm. Childcare will be provided.
Hosted by the Buddy Program in partnership with River Bridge Regional Center, Aspen Youth Center, YouthZone and Aspen Family Connections, Stewards of Children is an evidence-based training to prevent, recognize and respond to child sexual abuse. The award-winning training was created by Darkness to Light, a national nonprofit organization that empowers adults to build prevention-oriented communities and protect children.
According to the Children’s Advocacy Project, 67% of all sexual assault victims are under the age of 18, with one in four girls and one in six boys experiencing abuse. There are currently 39 million survivors in the United States. Recognizing this prevalence and that sexual abuse often occurs in secrecy, without visual evidence, the local nonprofits decided to collaborate.
“Child abuse expands across all socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of our community,” said Mary Cloud, development coordinator at River Bridge Regional Center. “We want to make this free and available for everybody to show that this education is important to access. We want our community to support the child and the family, and make sure they can continue to have a thriving and healthy life.”
The training will highlight signs of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, grooming and how adults can respond to reduce retraumatization for the child. Additionally, attendees will learn how to contact local authorities, and ways to support the child and family after a referral is made.
Amy Gomez, prevention coordinator and mental health therapist at River Bridge, said it is critical for families to attend because oftentimes signs of abuse are missed.
“We’ve seen cases of pretty severe abuse. Sometimes the family does not know how to respond, or maybe [the abuse] could have been stopped sooner,” said Gomez. “Hopefully we don’t have to use these resources, but they’re there if something comes up.”
For River Bridge and the Buddy Program, it is imperative that local nonprofits work together to prevent child abuse. “Collaboration is critical,” said Lindsay Lofaro, executive director of the Buddy Program.
She elaborated, “The Buddy Program can’t be the child sexual abuse community space like River Bridge is, and we don’t expect them to be the mentoring program. Together, the nonprofits have created a safety net for our children.”
Providing services for Eagle, Garfield, Pitkin and Rio Blanco counties, River Bridge employs a multidisciplinary team that enhances the response to and investigation of child abuse allegations. At River Bridge, forensic interviewers conduct neutral interviews with non-leading questions that are developmentally appropriate for children. The fact-finding interviews are then used by law enforcement or human services to help with abuse allegation cases. To begin the healing process, children meet with a mental health provider and a medical professional while families are connected with an advocate who helps navigate services such as food, housing and other nonprofit resources in the area.
“They come to a neutral space with an interviewer who is very well trained,” said Gomez. “The child talks to one person only about a traumatic experience without having to repeat the story multiple times.”
Cloud emphasized that River Bridge is not a reporting agency, nor is it an investigative agency. Instead, she strongly encouraged anyone who suspects abuse to contact local law enforcement or the child abuse and neglect hotline.
The Darkness to Light training is part of River Bridge’s ongoing commitment to enhance its prevention education program. An essential component of this program’s growth is to understand relevant education for the community. As a result, later this year, River Bridge will be offering a community assessment survey for the public to provide feedback regarding gaps in services and ways to improve current resources. The project’s initial phase was funded by Glenwood Springs Subaru through its annual Share the Love charity event, but ongoing support is needed to secure the project’s sustainability.
“It is on all of us to keep our kids safe,” said Lofaro. “The more empowerment and knowledge we can provide for our greater community around this topic is only going to make us stronger and keep our kids safe.”
Visit www.riverbridgerc.org to learn more about River Bridge, its upcoming community needs assessment, and the Darkness to Light training. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, contact local authorities or the Colorado hotline at 1-844-CO-4-Kids.