Resource of the week: Let’s Play Day
SARCC has been working in collaboration with a Lebanon County, Community Health Council, Tamaqua police department and Borough, and our local United Way’s for several years to work to install educational opportunities and evidence-based prevention strategies. Our overall mission is to prevent sexual violence and promote healing. To do that, we need to focus on risk and protective factors. One major risk factor for both victimization and perpetration of many forms of violence is lack of safe connections with caring adults.
Have you ever been out at a community event, seeing a SARCC table there, and noticed that children flock to say hello to Miss Clarissa? Or, if you spent any time in the waiting room at one of our offices, you might notice how excited young people are to come in and connect with their counselors.
This is not because SARCC doesn’t talk about hard things. Rather, it’s because the people that work with SARCC work hard to establish safe and caring connections with young people in our community and teach them skills needed to prevent and heal from violence. In fact, the CDC reports that safe connections with a Caring Adult is one of the major and protective factors that will prevent perpetrating future violence and help protect young people from being targeted for abuse.
This is just one of the reasons why our Connected Together board is working so hard to teach social development strategy in our communities. It’s also why we partnered with a local church to host a Let’s Play Day on March 18th. If adults in our community can dedicate the time and attention to building safe connections with young people, give them your guidance and help them establish their own goals. It will prevent violence. Join the CTC board next Saturday or contact SARCC to learn how you can get involved and make a difference.
March 18th 11am-2pm will be the Let’s Play event at a local Lebanon church. We will have food trucks, therapy animals, face painting, prizes and so much more! Come out and enjoy the fun!