I was trained as an Authorized Facilitator in 2018 at Darkness to Light's Ignite Conference in Memphis, and since then I have trained around 700 adults in Stewards of Children® through 35-40 trainings.
I am motivated to share Stewards of Children® because I value empowering adults with the information and skills needed to provide children with safe, nurturing environments where they can thrive! I have seen the lifelong impact of childhood sexual abuse and am inspired to use my strengths to support the collective efforts of Darkness to Light to build a movement of prevention.
I became a Stewards of Children® Authorized Facilitator as an independent Facilitator. I had been looking for a way to re-engage in child sexual abuse prevention work and wanted to work with a program that was rooted in evidence informed practices and focused on empowering adults. After several years of providing the training, I was motivated to become a Certified Instructor through my work with the Missouri Network Against Child Abuse (MO-NACA). I wanted to be able to train new Facilitators to support the growth of the Missouri Stewards of Children® Authorized Facilitator Network.
I started by engaging with other Facilitators in my city. We would meet to discuss where people were providing Stewards of Children® trainings and possibilities for the future. Most importantly, we discussed how we could support one another. MO-NACA hired me as a consultant and eventually a staff member where I was fortunate to continue the work of building their statewide network of Facilitators for several years. I have recently stepped out of that role and will continue to train new Facilitators in our state to keep the state network growing and thriving.
A frequent obstacle I have seen is the time it can sometimes take from opening a conversation with a group or community to when they are ready to commit time and resources to engaging with the Stewards of Children® training. However, being part of a community of Facilitators provided the space to have ongoing discussions about how to overcome this obstacle and others. Having other Facilitators to discuss successes and challenges with is key to staying motivated and engaged with primary child sexual abuse prevention work. It also supports the trauma informed practices and the self-care needed to remain engaged in this challenging work.
I have seen that prevention is possible! When the moment presents itself that a community, group or system is ready to engage with primary child sexual abuse prevention, Stewards of Children® ignites not just new awareness in the adults who are participating, but ignites community action, systems changes, and most importantly individual adult empowerment to protect children.
I have seen the Missouri State Legislature open up new streams of funding for local Stewards of Children® trainings as a result of advocacy by the Missouri Children's Trust Fund. I have seen the Missouri School Board Association partner with MO-NACA to create a 2.5 hour legislatively-mandated child sexual abuse prevention training that recommends Stewards of Children® be offered to adults in schools across Missouri. I have seen 8 community initiatives launched through the Missouri Children's Trust Fund utilize Stewards of Children®. These community initiatives are being evaluated by a team from the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships and Research where early results back up what other research has shown: that Stewards of Children® improves knowledge and changes attitudes.
I have seen a school district move from providing Stewards of Children® to their administration team to implementing a districtwide Code of Conduct which focuses on preventing child sexual abuse. I have seen the Missouri Children's Division begin a primary prevention unit and invest in having 13 of the prevention professionals trained as Authorized Facilitators.
I get very excited about the progress I have seen! And I will continue to train adults in Missouri who are interested in becoming Authorized Facilitators. I am also excited to support Darkness to Light in reaching new areas where Stewards of Children® has not yet taken root by supporting their efforts to train Facilitators.
"Each one of us has the potential to support the children in our spheres of influence on their path to healthy and thriving lives. Embracing the empowerment skills and 5 Steps to Protecting Children™, while taking care of yourself in the midst of talking about this difficult subject, can create real change in our communities. Know that you are not alone in this work and have a network of support to sustain you to continue to build prevention-oriented communities!”
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