Breaking the Silence: Dialogues
At Stop It Now!® Minnesota we advocate talking about child sexual abuse. Breaking the silence. Sharing the stories. We know that silence shatters lives and if people don't have safe places to go with their worries, their concerns, their confessions, they stay silent which too often means children are or continue to be harmed. That's why Stop It Now! provides the only safe and confidential 1-888-PREVENT Helpline. This Helpline provides a safe and confidential place for anyone concerned about their own or another person's sexualized thoughts or behaviors toward children to call for support, resources, and referrals.
Stop It Now! Minnesota also offers Dialogues to share real, behind the headlines, stories from people who have sexually abused children, who were sexually abused as children, or who know and love someone who has sexually abused or been sexually abused. Too many people are ignorant or too deep in denial about the sexual abuse of children. Covering our eyes and ears hasn't gotten us too far. Wringing our hands and being outraged hasn't gotten us too far. Through Dialogues we model and give audiences the opportunity to talk together about the sexual abuse of children and what each of us needs to know to keep children safe from sexual abuse.
Depending on the size of the audience, Dialogue last from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Half of the time is spent hearing from the speakers sharing their stories and half is spent in conversation with the audience, answering questions, listening to comments and reactions, etc.
If you are interested in sponsoring a Dialogue for your organization or in your community, please contact Yvonne Cournoyer.
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