A photo of little Etan, taken by his father, circulated worldwide in the search that ensued. It was Etan's photo - the image of an innocent little boy – that caught the attention of the nation and helped raise awareness of the issue of missing children. His disappearance, along with a number of other high-profile cases of missing children in the late 70's and early 80's, including Adam Walsh, showed us how ill-prepared we were as a nation to quickly identify and assemble resources in an effort to locate a missing child. These cases became a catalyst for change that brought about a national commitment to help locate and recover missing children. This commitment can be seen most notably today through the work of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
National Missing Children's Day serves as a reminder of our continued commitment, including our role in making child safety a priority.
A Time to Take 25
In honor of National Missing Children's Day, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recognizes Take 25, an annual campaign designed to raise awareness of of children's personal safety issues. Take 25 encourages parents, guardians, caregivers and others to spend time talking to kids about their personal safety at home, school, online or when they are just out and about.
I encourage you to Take 25 with your children today!
Resources:
Take 25
Safety Tips
Discussion Guidelines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jim Charleston 6-25-2012 @ 9:10AM
Giving our kids tools to prevent abuse.
What kind of safety programs are being offered in our schools to help kids make healthy decisions to help prevent abuse?
I look at the statistics on child abuse and neglect and wonder if we shouldn't formalize prevention education.
I've chosen to address it by developing a series of films designed to model healthy decision making among kids.
The first in the series, along with a request for support, is outlined here:
http://www.indiegogo.com/makinghealthychoices.
If you think empowering our children is a worthwhile goal then support this campaign, make a contribution, post your thoughts in the comment section and share on social network media sites.
Thank you.
Author Profile:
James Walter Charleston is a filmmaker in the Denver area. He goes by the screen name of Jim Sea. He holds a Masters in Social Work and a Masters in Divinity. He has worked as a chaplain intern in pediatric ICU, a homebuilder's therapist trained in Tacoma Wa., as well as a yoga instructor for potential gangbangers and returning vets.
Seeking to reach the widest audience possible with educational programs he has employed the use of film in order to model healthy decision making. Utilizing child actors he is in the process of putting together a series of films dramatizing kids in challenging situations. The power of the films rests in kids watching their peers extricate themselves from potential harm.
These films are designed to be utilized in classrooms and therapeutic settings to promote discussion, aid in planning and empower our kids. The first in this series Finding Your Voice is nearing completion but needs your help to complete. Please help at http://www.indiegogo.com/makinghealthychoices.
Thank you.
Reply
abner 10-07-2012 @ 10:45AM
Love it!
To the point, articulate and very interesting,
Thanks
Reply