FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact
Maria Chrissovergis | MC PR & Marketing maria@mcpragency.com
904-762-4573
DARKNESS TO LIGHT PARTNERS WITH
MONIQUE BURR FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN, INC
LAUNCHING PREVENT 360° – A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO PREVENT CHILD ABUSE
September 17, 2019 JACKSONVILLE, FL – Two of the nation’s leading advocates for the prevention of child abuse and bullying announced a partnership today called Prevent 360°. Protecting children from sexual abuse and other types of victimization requires a 360° approach. This new comprehensive approach offered by Monique Burr Foundation for Children (MBF) and Darkness to Light is being offered with preferred pricing. Prevent 360° establishes a clear message and framework provided by Darkness to Light for adult education and MBF for child/youth education.
“Research shows that 95 percent of sexual abuse is preventable through education,” shared Lynn Layton, President and CEO of MBF. “This partnership allows us to educate children and adults through one comprehensive approach.”
MBF teaches children 5 Safety Rules and Darkness to Light teaches adults 5 Steps to Protecting Our Children™, and these complementary messages work together to better protect children. Prevent 360° combines child-focused and adult-focused education as part of a larger approach to reduce stigma, influence behavior, and change social norms with the goal of protecting children from abuse.
“It’s a powerful partnership that demonstrates the alignment in philosophies between our organizations. Adults must accept the responsibility of preventing child sexual abuse, and kids must receive the tools they need to help adults keep them safe,” said Katelyn Brewer, President and CEO of Darkness to Light. “Prevent 360° is our collective commitment to communities nation-wide. We are proud to partner with MBF.”
Darkness to Light’s 5 Steps for Adults include:
“You don’t have to look any further than the local news in any city across the country to see that child victimization is happening everywhere. The types of abuse our children face is horrific but we can work to prevent it from happening,” shared Edward Burr, founder of MBF, “Prevent 360° fills a void. Every child deserves to be safe and we know that by educating both groups we can prevent abuse from happening.”
As part of this powerful collaboration, MBF Facilitators will be encouraged to add Darkness to Light’s trainings to their programs and services. More than 1.7 million adults worldwide have been trained in Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children°, an evidence-informed, award-winning child sexual abuse prevention training. It is available to organizations, schools, parents, and community members, both in-person and online. To incorporate the 360° approach, Darkness to Light Facilitators will also be encouraged to utilize MBF’s evidence-based and evidence-informed Prevention Education Programs that have reached over 3 million children to date.
The strategy of providing both children and adults education to prevent, recognize and respond appropriately to child abuse and other types of victimization launches today. Combined, the programs include complementary language and strategies, so adults and children have a common language to talk about sexual abuse and other types of victimization. Both organizations are committed to using ongoing program evaluations to ensure efficacy. To learn more about Prevent 360° and how to order both programs, visit www.prevent360.org.
ABOUT DARKNESS TO LIGHT
Darkness to Light is a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower adults to prevent child sexual abuse through awareness, education, and stigma reduction. Darkness to Light’s flagship program, Stewards of Children®, is an evidence-informed, award-winning training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. More than 1.7 million adults have been trained using Darkness to Light trainings. For more information, visit www.D2L.org.
ABOUT MONIQUE BURR FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN
The Monique Burr Foundation for Children (MBF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 by Edward E. Burr in honor of his late wife, Monique Burr, a devoted child advocate. MBF Prevention Education Programs, including MBF Child Safety Matters® for elementary schools and MBF Teen Safety Matters® for middle and high schools, as well as the newest program, MBF Athlete Safety Matters™ are evidence-based/evidence-informed primary prevention programs that educate and empower children and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, digital dangers, the four types of child abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect), and exploitation. MBF programs have been delivered to over 3 million children by 3,000 facilitators since 2010. For more information, visit wwwstaging.mbfpreventioneducation.org.
