Stewards of Children Training April 28th

April 8, 2010, Niles, Michigan – Big Brothers Sisters of Berrien and Cass, with support from the Berrien County Council for Children, will sponsor “Stewards of Children”, a sexual abuse prevention training program for mentors and other interested parties on Wednesday, April 28th, from 5-8 p.m. at the Berrien County RESA building in Berrien Springs.

Stewards of Children is a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The program is designed for organizations that serve youth and recognizes that adults are responsible for the safety of children.

Trained facilitator and Executive Director of the Council, Jamie Rossow, will present the two-and-a-half-hour program which will include learning “The 7 Steps to Protecting our Children,” a core educational tool for sexual abuse prevention. Experts estimate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthdays. The median age for reported sexual abuse is 9 years old with 20% of the victims being under age 8.

The Berrien County Council for Children is providing scholarships for attendees through the Michigan Children's Trust Fund, not only for Big Brother and Big Sister mentor volunteers, but also for other agency representatives who would welcome additional educational tools in working with our community's children. Those in the latter category must be a staff member or a volunteer at a local organization serving youth.

For more information, contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berrien and Cass at info@bbbsofbc.org or download the registration form. BBBS is a United Way partner agency providing mentors for children ages 6-12 through both its traditional program as well as its Lunch Buddy and Dinner Buddy programs.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berrien and Cass, Inc.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berrien and Cass, a United Way partner agency, helps vulnerable children beat negative odds. Professionally-supported volunteer services are proven to reduce children’s risk of dropping out of school; becoming violent; using drugs and alcohol; and falling victim to other negative cycles. Big Brothers Big Sisters and its network of supporters recognize the hardship, pain and challenges that children in too many communities confront. There’s an urgent demand for what the organization achieves. In addition to the traditional mentoring program, which matches a Big Brother or a Big Sister with a child of the same gender for at least one year, BBBS provides "Lunch Buddy" mentors who meet with a child at their school once a week during lunchtime. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berrien and Cass, Inc. is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization celebrating 42 years of service in Berrien and Cass counties of Southwest Michigan. Learn how to join the movement to change how children grow up in Berrien and Cass Counties by going to BBBSofBC.org or call (269) 684-1100, toll free (877) 367-2244.