|
Keeping children safe is one of the most important things we do as parents, educators or other caring adults. To do this, we must equip chidren with the knowledge and skills they need to avoid risky situations and give them an understanding of their rights to protect their own body. Bravehearts is aiming to achieve this through our education and prevention stream, bringing one of this country's most innovative and proactive programs to schools across the country.
Bravehearts’ Education and Prevention stream currently consists of 3 programs.
Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure! CD-Rom and associated products
Heightened media coverage has ensured parents and caregivers are more aware of the threat to children by sex offenders than ever before. We have learned a lot including how devastating child sexual assault can be to the health and wellbeing of our children. This increased awareness has raised alarm for many families as they grapple with finding ways to protect their children.
In response to this need, Bravehearts has created an interactive CD-Rom; Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure, featuring our children’s character Ditto. The CD ROM has been developed with assistance from the best minds in child protection in the country.
Other resources include an Activity Book, Ditto's Fairysafe DVD and CD multimedia pack.
A fun, live, interactive school-based program
"... a huge thank you to this organisation. Yesterday I found out that my nephews were the victims of a vicious child predator. They are young and very vulnerable. They were compelled to come forward with this information after keeping it a secret for many months, after attendingthe program run through theirschool. I dread to think, had it not been for this, that we would have been none the wiser...so thank you on behalf of these children and their parents. You may have just saved their lives!" - Name withheld.
The purpose of ‘Ditto’s Education Program’ is to teach children the skills to keep safe from sexual predators. We are taking these proven, safe, fun, effective and interactive messages, rules and tools into schools, day care centres, shopping centres, sporting clubs etc in order to provide children, parents, teachers, carers and the general community with specialised child sexual assault awareness and education.
So far, 'Ditto's Education Program' and its vital personal safety messages has reached more than 100,000 children. We are already inundated with expressions of interest from schools for 2011.
The live protective behaviours performance runs for 30 minutes. The star of the performance is Ditto himself. The program is fun, non-threatening and encourages student participation. Segments include:
-
Yes and No feelings
-
Your body’s warning signs
-
Scared and yucky feelings
-
Private parts (general discussion, includes our “Private Parts” song)
-
It’s OK to say NO if you don’t feel safe
-
Good and Bad secrets (includes our “Good and Bad Secrets” song)
-
What to do if someone tells you a BAD secret (includes our “Run and Tell Someone You Can Trust” song).
The Feedback has been encouraging;
"Fabulous way to talk about a very important and difficult topic." Manly State School.
"A great program to proactively deal with a very sensitive issue." Algester State School.
"A great program for the children, age appropriate abd developmentally beneficial." ABC Childcare Nerang.
"The program gets the message of personal safety across to the children in a simple and effective way." Crestmead State School.
"Ditto the character was a great way to put across the messages rather than adults "telling" them as in other shows." ABC Childcare Calamvale.
Workshops for parents, carers and others working with children.
In addition to our school-based education program and associated multimedia products for kids, Bravehearts runs workshops for parent groups and all those working with children. Supporting Hands workshops focus on:
-
Facts and Stats
-
Definitions
-
Indicators of harm
-
How to respond to disclosed or suspected harm
-
Organisational and legislative requirements
-
How to ensure organisations are "child-protection friendly" Effective risk management for your organisation
|
