One Person’s Moment

By Lindsay Gullingsrud

 

I have family members who are fire fighters.  The other week, they fought a pretty big fire.  Thanks to Facebook and friends capturing images of the fire, for the first time, I was able to relate to their reality.  I was able to get a sense of the danger they faced and saw that, instead of running to safety, they were running towards danger to prevent and minimize potential losses.  I am in awe of the work they do, and how they literally put their lives on the line and compromise their safety for others’.  Their sense of urgency is measurable and understandable, and can be captured in pictures and sounds.

 

This week I have been thinking about this sense of urgency and that moment in time when thinking “Something needs to change” or “Someone [else] needs to do something”  switches to “I need to do something” or  “I need to take action”.  I wish we could capture that moment, when the sense of urgency becomes so personal that it results in action.  I wish we could put that moment in a bottle and give it to people.

 

Last weekend, for the very first time, I sent a letter to my state representatives about something that wasn’t work related. I am not sure exactly sure what happened, but in that moment when I was asked to write the email, I didn’t think about not having enough time. I didn’t think about my fear of not knowing exactly what to say or that I am only one voice. It didn’t matter.  The time was now, enough was enough, and I identified with the urgency and chose to use my voice on behalf of all of us who would be impacted by a decision.  After hitting send, I was so excited about what I had done that I posted my statement on Facebook.  It felt so good to feel that shift, that change—to be running into the fire instead of away—to be part of something bigger instead of choosing to watch from the sidelines.

 

Today is your moment.  It is your time to see the urgency, recognize your voice, and choose to use it for change.  You can be that one person on your social networking site talking about the prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation.  You can be the one person to identify the urgency that is in front of us.  You can be the one person to inspire five other people to do the same.  The urgency is now.  We all have a voice to change the culture and create a healthy environment that supports our children.  We, too, can prevent losses.

 

We are building a revolution.  It starts online on February 29, and you can help it grow exponentially, but first you need to recognize that this is your moment, too.

A Frog for Prevention?!

What does a leaping frog with a heart on its belly have to do with prevention of child sexual abuse? 

 

Glad you asked.

For a long time there has been interest in a collective effort to build a stronger movement for prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation in Minnesota. This is far from the first attempt and past attempts have not been sustained.  Since the early years of attention to prevention we’ve learned many things:

 

Social change is not easy – it takes passion, tenacity, creativity and broad based collaborations.

The only certainty we can expect is with engrained social norms, there will be push back when we start creating substantive change.  Together, we need to hold our ground and know our rights to demand a change for children!

 

Talking about thorny issues like sex and sexual abuse is not easy for many people.

By emphasizing on what we are learning from studies and demonstrating how to talk about it, we will change that-we are changing that!  The fact is, many people want accurate information and examples on how to talk about this.

 

In the effort to be research based and build the capacity of the professionals in the field, we cannot forget the power of voices of experience and the critical nature of staying child centered.

The frog is child friendly. Some people may be afraid of frogs but generally speaking, this frog makes you smile, right?

The heart on the frog builds on our ability to inspire a change of heart in others and in systems.

The frog is LEAPING.  How do we show action?  A leaping frog!

 

Prevention needs to be solution focused. Solutions need to:

Not be frightening – which pushes people away;

Too overwhelming – which numbs people into inaction rather than inspiring them into action.

Make it very clear prevention is possible and we need to show how easy it is to get involved and make a difference;

Avoid focusing in on an individual case – which might get sympathy for an individual victim or rage toward an individual perpetrator, but it doesn’t help people understand this is all of our issue.  It doesn’t inform how we all can mobilize for social change and push for public health.

Use stories that show successes large and small when individuals, organizations, communities, policy leaders, etc. stuck to their values, leapt forward for prevention and demanded a change for children.

 

Take a leap forward for prevention yourself!  Join us by participating on February 29^th.  Click here for more information on how you can Demand the Change for Children: Leap Forward for Prevention.

We have been hearing for months on how individuals as well as agencies are taking action to Demand the Change for Children.  Together, let’s show Minnesota those numbers!  Let’s flood our social networking sites and show that Minnesota wants to see an investment in and attention to the prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation!

 

So what you can do today as well as on February 29^th?

• Sign up to show your support.
• Encourage family, friends, and colleagues to sign up.
• Use your voice, your wisdom and your passion to post on your own social networks why you believe in prevention!
• Use the logo and a link to the website to spread the word.
• For more information see: www.demandthechangeforchildren.org;

And plan to bring a large group to the April 28^th rally the morning of Saturday, April 28, tentatively planned for at the Mall of America.

 

Yours in Passionate Dedication to Prevention Action,

Cordelia Anderson