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<br />Program Description (3 pages OR LESS)
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<br />d) Summarize the program services and how they will address a Town/County priority/goal.
<br />The OCRCC has provided our award-winning safety education programs to local youth and adults for
<br />over 35 years. We continue to incorporate new research and best practices into our curriculum to
<br />ensure the highest quality content and delivery. Safe Touch (preK-5th grade) focuses on protective
<br />factors against sexual abuse victimization. We teach age-appropriate messages for how to identify
<br />inappropriate touches, what to do if they experience violence, and who to talk to about violence. In
<br />fourth and fifth grade, we introduce lessons about internet safety, cyber bullying, and sexual bullying.
<br />Start Strong (7th & 9th grade) focuses on risk and protective factors for perpetration of sexual violence
<br />(SV). W e focus on positive behavior development and bystander empowerment. Our programs
<br />increase protective factors for youth, including developing positive and healthy relationships,
<br />promoting healthy sexuality, developing media literacy skills, increasing bystander efficacy, and
<br />challenging rape myths. Our adult and parent programs utilize both primary prevention and risk
<br />reduction strategies. Our major program is Stewards of Children®, a professional training curriculum
<br />provided by Darkness to Light. Through evidence-based methodology, we teach parents and
<br />caregivers concrete steps and tips for preventing, recognizing, and responding to child sexual abuse.
<br />Our programs address community priorities by reducing what the CDC terms Adverse
<br />Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which form the root causes of many public health issues and
<br />contribute to negative life outcomes such as substance abuse, mental and behavioral health issues,
<br />and chronic disease. In addition to their prevention focus, the programs are designed to identify
<br />children and adolescents currently experiencing violence and connect them with appropriate
<br />professional supports. Over the last five years, our staff has assisted school personnel with providing
<br />intervention services to 544 students, including making reports to the Department of Social Services
<br />in cases where mandated or recommended.
<br />The majority of our programs take place within local schools, enabling us to educate youth and
<br />adults across all demographics in Orange County. Many of our initiatives focus primarily on the
<br />provision of education and prevention services to underserved and vulnerable populations, including
<br />low-income families, children and/or parents with disabilities, and students facing challenges in school.
<br />We are therefore providing education for youth facing a variety of challenges (Priority Area #2) through
<br />a program aimed at improving the health of needy residents (Priority Area #3). By providing education
<br />and family resources (CH HS Needs Assessment), we work to create a safe community (OC BOCC
<br />Goals) and to enhance the quality of life for everyone (Carrboro Priorities). Our prevention and support
<br />services form a part of the community network of basic human services that promote the wellbeing of
<br />all residents (OC BOCC Goals). We seek to foster a community culture that rejects oppression and
<br />inequity (OC BOCC Goals) through education programs for youth and adults focusing on primary
<br />prevention of bullying and SV; teen and adult programs that explore the social and cultural context
<br />that produces SV by discussing socialization, oppression, gender stereotyping, media literacy, and
<br />rape culture; and staff mentorship to youth anti-violence organizations such as Youth Against Rape
<br />Culture at local high schools.
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<br />e) Describe the community need or problem to be addressed in relation to community priorities.
<br />Sexual violence (SV) occurs in all communities and across all demographics, and research shows that
<br />children and teens are at even higher risk of victimization than adults: 70% of reported sexual assaults
<br />occur to children under the age of 18. According to Darkness to Light, about 1 in 10 children will be
<br />sexually abused before their 18th birthday, while even more will experience other forms of non-contact
<br />SV, such as exposure, voyeurism, harassment, and exposure to pornography. Though local data on
<br />SV is difficult to assess, our experience corroborates these national findings. The negative impacts of
<br />SV can be severe. Children who experience SV may have mental health issues such as anxiety,
<br />depression, aggression, low self-esteem, or suicidal thoughts; difficulty at school such as poor
<br />performance, poor behavior, or poor attendance; physical illness; and more. Without proper support,
<br />these difficulties may persist into adulthood, creating limitations on their health, employment, and
<br />housing outcomes. But as with adults, these long-term consequences can be diminished if children
<br />receive early intervention and a supportive environment to disclose their abuse and begin to heal.
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