Dear MassKids Supporters,

For 60 years, MassKids has been a leader in efforts to prevent the abuse and neglect of our state's children. In 1986, we led the first statewide media campaign in the country on child sexual abuse. Since then we have trained thousands of parents and professionals about how to take actions to keep children safe; developed numerous high quality prevention resources; and led successful legislative initiatives to address the problem. Read about our latest efforts. On Black Friday, Cyber Monday and throughout the holiday season, shop with Amazon Smile and benefit MassKids at no extra cost to you. On #Giving Tuesday, December 3rd., choose MassKids and join the movement to stop the hurt before it starts.

Prevention Tour Announced

In response to participants at MassKids’ three annual cutting-edge conferences on sexual abuse prevention, we are taking our highly rated Enough Abuse Campaign on the road. Partnering with colleagues across the state, we will provide free, half-day trainings about sexual abuse, and the policies schools

and youth organizations can implement to keep children safe and reduce the legal/financial liabilities that can result from sexual misconduct and abuse.

First Stop – Over 60 school and law enforcement leaders from 22 communities convened on August 15^th for our first Prevention Tour training, co-sponsored by the MA Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA) and Salem State University’s Center for Childhood and Youth Studies. University President John Keenan and Senator Joan Lovely, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, addressed the gathering and emphasized the critical need for prevention. The 3-hour training was delivered by MassKids Executive Director Jetta Bernier, who updated the group on legislation introduced by Sen. Lovely that would mandate schools and youth organizations to adopt training and policies to address the problem. Check out coverage of the event in the headline Salem News article and Newburyport News Editorial.

Second Stop - On November 7^th, 54 youth organization leaders from 15 North Shore towns convened in Ipswich at the VFW Hall for our second Prevention Tour training, co-sponsored by Pathways for Children, the YMCAs of the North Shore, and Salem State University. The group learned about the latest strategies to prevent sexual misconduct and abuse, including tools to screen prospective new employees, boundary-violating behaviors that should be a part of a comprehensive code of conduct, how to handle disclosures from youth, and evidence-based resources available to train agency staff.

Carmen Durso, MassKids Board Member and legal advocate for hundreds of victims of child sexual abuse, provided examples of cases that could have been prevented, had school or youth organization staff been trained about behaviors to look for. YMCA CEO Chris Lovasco emphasized the agency’s commitment to do everything it could to keep safe the over 18,000 children it serves each year.

Prevention Tour 2020 – In January, school leaders in Middlesex County will convene in Waltham to learn how they can strengthen their prevention policies and practices. Among local leaders supporting the effort are Representative John Lawn and Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, longtime supporters of MassKids’ efforts.

MassKids is partnering with Boston Children’s Theatre to deliver a training for parents and youth-serving organization leaders, also in early 2020. Recent allegations of sexual misconduct by a former artistic director at the Theatre prompted the BCT Board of Directors to take immediate action to provide an opportunity for its supporters to learn more about the problem and how to prevent it. Leaders of other Boston youth organizations are encouraged to attend the public training. Date and location to be announced soon.

Other Prevention Tour stops in Eastern Massachusetts will include trainings for Merrimack Valley youth organizations in partnership with the Center for Hope and Healing in Lowell, and in Lynn with Lynn Economic Opportunity (LEO). Stops in Worcester, South Worcester County, North Quabbin Area, Springfield and other Western Massachusetts cities and towns to be announced.

What paticipants are saying:

"Excellent information and resource-sharing." "Comprehensive and thorough."

"...provided me with information I can share with my staff to make our programs safer."

To encourage school and youth organization attendance, we are committed to keeping these trainings free. We invite you to “Get on the virtual Prevention Tour bus” with us by making a donation to support these important trainings.

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in My School

Thanks to a grant to MassKids from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation, our online course, "Enough! Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in My School," will now be made available to the 1,500 employees in Lowell's 29 Public Schools.

Several thousand public and private

school employees have completed the course, with over 95% indicating they would recommend it to their colleagues. The U.S. Department of Justice has selected Enough! for inclusion in crimesolutions.gov, its online repository of effective crime prevention programs.

What school staff are saying:

"Excellent training! Really good specific examples, great narration!"

"I really appreciated the candid discussion about the fears and biases that often prevent teachers from recognizing and reporting suspected cases."

"I am glad to have more information and feel empowered now to act as an advocate to prevent or report the sexual abuse of my students."

Superintendents, principals, and school committee leaders can preview the course at no cost. Contact us or click below to learn more.

Take Action Today! Pledge to Prevent™ Child Sexual Abuse

Polling by MassKids confirms that awareness about child sexual abuse is already high and there is great interest in preventing it, but most people report they simply don’t know what they can do practically to stop it. To provide citizens with the knowledge and skills they need to put an end to the silence, and eventually the epidemic of child sexual abuse, we have developed Pledge to Prevent™, a unique online action campaign that gives everyone a way to prevent sexual abuse in their homes and communities. Eight national organizations have joined the initiative in the first wave of "Pledge Partners."

Engaging young people in the effort to prevent child sexual abuse is critical. Partnering with student leaders from Tufts University’s 180 Degrees Consulting team, we have developed specific Pledges college students can take to address the problem. In November, the Tufts team successfully launched Pledge Day on campus and raised over 100 new pledges, handing out stickers to spread the word. They have developed a Campus Action Kit that details how other college clubs across the country can launch the effort. Be a Pledge to Prevent™ promoter on your campus. Contact us!

It's Not Just Jenna: A True Story of Child Sexual Abuse and Survival

“It’s Not Just Jenna,” a compelling video produced by MassKids and Alvid Productions, features the story of the Quinn family whose 16-year old daughter Jenna revealed sexual abuse by a trusted family friend. The Quinn family’s willingness to share their journey of discovery is a powerful tool to educate parents and youth about how they can take action to prevent child sexual abuse. The popular video has been dubbed in Spanish and was recently updated with a compelling post-script from Jenna - now a nationally recognized advocate for prevention - to survivors, parents, and people who work with children and teens.

The 30-minute video and companion Discussion Guide are available digitally for purchase by youth groups, schools, churches, and others.

South Dakota Latest State to Adopt Enough Abuse

South Dakota is 8th state to adopt the Enough Abuse Campaign. The Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment at the University of South Dakota, lead agency in that state for Enough Abuse,

hosted a 2-day Training of Trainers, led by MassKids staff, that certified 40 professionals to deliver prevention education workshops across the state.

Enough Abuse Campaign in Africa

Child advocates in Sierra Leone have adopted the Enough Abuse Campaign to help address the serious prevalence of child sexual abuse in their country. Student Parliament/ Sierra Leone (SP/SL) is training a cadre of volunteers in over 50 chiefdoms to deliver Enough Abuse’s tested, research-based curricula to parents, schools and youth groups. Francis Sam-Kabba, Director of SP/SL, attended a conference in Lagos, Nigeria in October sponsored by Suburban Health Care, lead

agency for Enough Abuse in Nigeria.

That group, headed by pediatrician Dr. Bukola Ogunkua, has trained over 2,000 parents and health workers using Enough Abuse training curricula adapted for that country.

Support Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Legislation in Massachusetts

MassKids urges citizens to voice their support for two critical prevention bills introduced by Senator Joan Lovely (D-Salem). S312 would mandate child sexual abuse prevention education and policies, standard employee screening, and prohibit schools from aiding and abetting employees engaged in sexual misconduct from securing employment in another school.

S313 would provide that in any civil action, youth under 19, or under 22 if a special needs person, would be incapable of consenting to sexual relations with a person over 21 employed by a school, state department, or private institution that serves youth.

If you live in another state, check out MassKids' national online, MAPS resource for information about states' efforts to address child sexual abuse through legislation. You can advocate for similar legislation in your state. Join Citizens to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and we'll keep you updated on these developments.

Thanks for reading. Stay connected.