CCR Column: Kids Can and Unheard Voices Awareness Events

by Jamie Craig, Door County Program Coordinator, Sexual Assault Center

April is Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness Month. Family Services will be offering two events in April to share information about these topics.

Kids Can – a family-friendly presentation that teaches children about their bodies and how to protect them – will be offered to children ages three to five and their parents on April 13, 10 am, at the Green Bay YWCA.

Children will listen to the interactive Kids Can program, which teaches about good and bad secrets, safe and unsafe touches, and the names of body parts. The Sexual Assault Center in Door County uses the Kids Can program with children ages three to five to promote body safety and self-assurance to help prevent sexual abuse.

After Kids Can, parents can ask questions of a panel of trained professionals from Family Services’ programs: Willow Tree Cornerstone Child Advocacy Center, Sexual Assault Center, Healthy Families, and Early Head Start. During this portion of the event, kids can participate in supervised educational activities and play together at the YWCA.

The Sexual Assault Center is also hosting Unheard Voices at the Meyer Theatre in Green Bay on April 24, 6 pm. This is a public presentation for parents and youth about the realities of sexual assault in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Children ages 12 to 16 should be accompanied by an adult because Unheard Voices discusses real sexual-assault stories about real people in our community.

Parents, youth 12 and older, and community members are encouraged to attend this event to gain tools to start the conversation, get tips to break the silence and have their questions answered by a panel of experts. Doors will open at 5:30 pm. Admission is free.

To learn more about these events and many others offered throughout April, check out Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin on Facebook or the Unheard Voices event details at meyertheatre.org.

The Sexual Assault Center hotline is available 24/7 to offer support and help if you or a loved one has been a victim of sexual assault. Call 920.746.8996.