Child sexual abuse is a serious societal problem. Nearly one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Research suggests that most adults, including the employees and volunteers of youth/faith organizations, do not know enough about preventing, recognizing and responding to child sexual abuse to adequately protect children.
The project will respond to the problem with a complete web-based training package for youth/faith organizations and their employees and volunteers. The training package will include: comprehensive web-based prevention training for employees and volunteers; a web-based tool that helps organizations develop comprehensive and effective policies and procedures; train-the-trainer sessions for organizational leadership utilizing live web meeting technology; a marketing approach using live web meeting technology to solicit national youth/faith organizations; a web-based testing and certification process; and a moderated blog to allow participants to share information, research, news articles and best practices with one another.
Darkness to Light will train 23,000 employees and volunteers of youth/faith organizations throughout the nation. Project outcomes include improved awareness of the prevalence, consequences and circumstances of child sexual abuse; increased knowledge of steps to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to it; and long-term behavior changes that protect children. Organizational outcomes will include improvements to policies and procedures and the adoption of a training regimen for employees and volunteers.
The cutting-edge technologies utilized by this project include the latest problem-solving simulation software applications and advanced live web meeting software. Other technologically-advanced features are complex Flash applications, and a sophisticated web-based database that records and interprets participants' interaction with the web-based training. However, the project's greatest innovation lies in the combination of these new technologies to create a comprehensive solution to a significant societal problem.
