By Amy Demelia
Sun Chronicle
September 13, 2011
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2011/09/13/news/10172351.txt
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| The Hockomock YMCA's Tony Calcia will be one of the trainers in the Y's "Darkness to Light" program which teaches people in the community how to recognize signs of child sexual abuse. On Monday, community members interested in the program turned out to learn more. (Staff photo by Tom Maguire) |
Hockomock Y program trains community members in helping spot the problem
NORTH ATTLEBORO - The Hockomock Area YMCA has enlisted community members to help with the battle against sexual abuse of children.
Town officials, church leaders, school personnel and interested community members met on Monday for a presentation on the Hockomock Area YMCA's efforts to implement the Darkness to Light program in its five member communities of North Attleboro, Foxboro, Franklin, Mansfield and Sharon.
"We're really excited about having the opportunity to have a powerful and sobering discussion about how we can protect children," said Ed Hurley, president of the Hockomock Area YMCA.
Darkness to Light is a national non-profit organization based in Charleston, S.C., that has expanded to 49 states and 27 countries.
The organization focuses on empowering adults to recognize and react to the signs of sexual abuse of children through its 2 1/2-hour "Stewards of Children" training program.
Already, 103 people in North Attleboro have taken the training workshop, including Hockomock YMCA employees, park and recreation staff, school nurses and administrators.
"It's not a church problem. It's not a coach problem. It's not a YMCA problem. It's a community problem," said Tony Calcia, the YMCA's vice president of child protection and social responsibility. "As a community, we have to stand up for our kids."
According to the Boston University School of Medicine, one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused by their 18th birthday.
"That's 20 percent of children," Calcia said. "It's an epidemic, and we need to stop it. If 20 percent of kids were getting injured on school buses, how fast would the government and everybody step in to fix it? For far too long, childhood sexual abuse has been shrouded in secrecy."
Calcia said sexual abuse has an emotional toll on the victims and an economic toll on the community at large.
Intervening and treating a victim of sexual abuse costs about $14,345, meaning that about $3.4 billion is spent on those efforts each year in the United States.
The Hockomock Area YMCA is aiming to train at least 5 percent of its member communities in the "Stewards of Children" program. The goal is to train 930 adults in North Attleboro within the next four years.
The Y has been reaching out to local schools, youth groups and park and recreation programs to solicit volunteers interested in receiving the training.
The training costs $10 per participant, but the Y is willing to work with organizations unable to completely fund the cost.
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