Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
Peace River Family and Community Support Services is welcoming a workshop to raise awareness and provide information about child sexual abuse.
Little Warriors’ Prevent It will be held on May 1 from 1-4 p.m. at the Baytex Energy Centre in the Multipurpose Room.
FCSS director Tamara Brunham urges parents, teachers, and anyone who works with children to consider taking the workshop.
“Little Warriors is an organization dedicated to the education, disclosure, reporting and prevention of child sexual abuse,” says Brunham.
“Prevent It is a free evidence-based educational workshop developed in Canada in conjunction with researchers at the University of Alberta. It educates and empowers adults to take action and help prevent and respond to child sexual abuse.”
Brunham says this isn’t a topic that is talked about much, but it has a significant impact on the lives of people who are involved.
“We aim to educate as many people as possible to aid in sexual assault prevention for our most vulnerable population,” Brunham explains.
“Learning the many ways to keep our children safe, learning the signs to investigate if you see signs and learning how and where to report.”
Brunham says they will only take a maximum of 25 participants, so it’s vital to register early at peaceriver.ca/registration or call her at (780) 624-1000. Topics discussed will include grooming, Internet safety, identifying and avoiding high risk situations.
“With social media our kids are more at risk, and things change quickly so it’s important to stay up-to-date with any initiatives to keep kids safe,” she explains.
“The more adults in their lives who are aware and proactive with this education will help to keep our kids safe. Also, raising children to be aware of high-risk situations earlier on can mitigate abuse.”