Together, We Can Make a Difference

Today is a happy day for me. With the help of friends and family, I have put together a press kit to send to school administrators to help them feel comfortable about inviting me to their schools. I have a great presentation for kids of all ages, but administrators freeze up when they hear the words, “sexual abuse”. They are very reluctant to open that can of worms.

My presentation is not scary. It is not graphic. It is non-threatening. I have age-appropriate material for every age group. Children need this information. Teenagers need this. Everyone needs this.

We owe our children correct information. We owe them the right to feel safe, the right to tell, and the right to get help. When we guard this information we close those opportunities to them. We put them at risk. Knowledge is power. When we choose to teach correct principals we empower children to take control of their own bodies. We give them a voice.

As parents and teachers, as guardians of the community, we can turn the other way, as people have been doing for decades, or we can take a stand. We can stand up for decency. We can stand up for kids.

I recently presented this material to a group of juniors and seniors in Wood River High School. This was a small group of kids who were serving in internships to become teachers and daycare providers. They were keenly interested in this material and sent me heart warming letters.

If you would like me to come to your school, email me: lindagarner@somesecretshurt.com. I will gladly send you the press kit as an attachment which you can then forward to your school principal. Even better, you can print it and take it to your school principal in person.

Together, we can make a difference.

Linda Garner