By Shanee Frazier, Staff Writer
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — As part of a commitment to protect and promote child safety, the South Mountain YMCA held a Child Sexual Abuse Training course at The Woodland in Maplewood on Sunday, April 12. Although this month is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Y works to protect the children all year round through education and programming.
The video-based training offered April 12 is part of the organization’s ongoing proactive initiative to educate those who interact with children about the warning signs of abuse. The training is offered through an organization called “Darkness to Light,” and the training program is titled “Stewards of Children.”
Maureen Simons, senior director of child safety at the YMCA, spoke about the Y’s strong belief in child safety, saying that without a safe environment, a child cannot grow. In an interview with the News-Record, Simons discussed the growing need to address concerns centered around child abuse.
“We partnered with ‘Darkness to Light’ because it’s a serious matter and an uncomfortable one to talk about,” she said. “We buy baby monitors, lock medicine cabinets, tell our kids to wear helmets and look both ways before crossing the street. We don’t have conversations about sexual abuse though.”
The numbers associated with child sexual abuse are disquieting; statistics from Darkness to Light data show that children are the victim of 70 percent of reported sexual assaults. Additionally, 40 percent of those children are abused by an older or larger child.
Although the numbers of cases reported have decreased as more education becomes available, there is still work to be done.
“One in 10 children being abused is still one child too many,” Simons said. “The best way we as adults can combat this is teaching adults to be responsible. They will leave the training with increased knowledge, skills and strategies to protect the children they care for or interact with.”
In South Orange and Maplewood, more than 500 people have had this training, and the local YMCA has recently earned the Partner in Prevention distinction that is attained when at least 95 percent of the employees have completed the “Darkness to Light” training.
Simons also advised that the Y will offer the training online free of charge to any New Jersey resident during 2015.
Having a fully trained staff is only the first stage of the work the YMCA is doing to create a safer and more aware community.
The Togetherhood Volunteer Program, a community-service-based initiative of the Y, is also working to create a more informed citizenry.
Jeff Goldsmith, chairman of the Togetherhood Committee, said in an interview with the News-Record that his committee has collaborated with the Y on three other projects so far, including a school-supplies drive, a fundraiser for local children to play and have equipment for the town soccer team, and sponsoring the Maplewood Fourth of July races.
Although the “Stewards of Children” training marks the first time the committee has worked with the Y on the issue of child safety, the Y is eager to continue the work.
“We’re helping with the community outreach,” Goldsmith said. “Our approach is simple: ‘I’m doing this to protect your kid, can you do the same for me?’”
Now that the YMCA’s staff is almost 100-percent trained, its focus has shifted to the community and how this important training can be brought to others.
Through a grant of $1,000 from the South Orange Rotary Club, the YMCA was recently able to provide the “Stewards of Children” training to the South Orange Public Library staff by using the money to buy the training materials.
Simons said that the Y will travel to any organization in the community interested in providing this training. The next local training will be held for free at the Civic Center on Dunnell Road in Maplewood on May 13 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Visit www.metroymcas.org/preventnow to register and click “Find a Training.”