February Foto Fun Day 15: Something New

I started a new venture this year.....something that I was trained in Ottawa for in the Christmas Holidays (which is why we were there for 3 days, including Lincoln's birthday).

It all started in November, when Nathan and I attended a Stewards of Children workshop held in one of our churches which dealt with prevention of child sexual abuse. This workshop was beneficial as we learned the facts of child sexual abuse, how to minimize opportunity, how to talk to our children, how to recognize the signs and then to react responsibly. It was 3 hours well-spent.

This workshop is from the organization of Darkness to Light (www.d2l.org), which is in the US. There is a Canadian version of this, called  VoiceFound. The facilitator of our workshop was a lady from one of our churches out in Alberta.  It was from her that we found out that no one, no one from our churches here in Ontario was trained to do what she does - facilitate these workshops.

That just didn't sit well with me, and so I looked into finding out how to become trained. And that is why I had to be in Ottawa, at the VoiceFound office, where I took an all day training workshop. This has left me now as a trained facilitator to lead this workshop. The good thing about it is I am not the only one in Ontario! There are 3 others as well from our churches that were trained with me.

So my "Something New" is that in 2016, I have started a new venture in educating adults (seeing as we are the ones responsible for children) in prevention of child sexual abuse. I am hosting my first workshop on Friday evening, February 26th, at my home. If you live in my area and are interested, let me know by sending me an email! I can then give you more details. And if that date doesn't work, I can do this workshop anytime and anywhere. You can host me in your home, or church, or school community. (michelle.helder@gmail.com)

Yes, child sexual abuse is a sensitive subject. But it is a subject that we need to talk about and be educated in for the benefit of the children in our lives, whether they are sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, children in our church/community.  I pray that God will bless this venture as we seek to protect the children He has blessed us with.

Day 16: A Favourite Saying