Empower Youth

Safeguarding youth is at the center of our work together, and there is no better way to empower children and teens than through education. At the heart of Best Practice 9: Empower Youth is research revealing that well-informed youth are more likely to know when something is wrong, more likely to disclose should something happen, and more likely to get help when needed. While youth are not responsible for protecting themselves, offenders report specifically seeking out children and teens who are uneducated about personal safety or otherwise naive because they are less likely to recognize abuse when it occurs; teaching our community’s youth about bodily autonomy and personal safety is paramount to breaking this cycle. Educating children about personal safety has been shown to lead to early disclosure of child maltreatment, and early disclosure is linked to greater long-term resilience. Therefore education, designed in partnership with organizations and parents, is a key to raising informed, empowered youth.

With this mandate front and center, teaching youth our communal interpersonal rights and obligations — helping them understand body boundaries, how to respect another’s agency and autonomy, and how to stand up for others — is foundational to building a safer, healthier society. When youth are raised with education and a space to discuss this topic, they learn what they can expect of a community and its organizations. Furthermore, they will know how to model safe behavior for their peers for generations to come.