URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) — Rape Advocacy, Counseling & Education Services has been selected as one of 22 recipients nationwide to receive a Darkness to Light Advocacy Award, expanding efforts to prevent child sexual abuse across east central Illinois.
The Urbana-based nonprofit will use the award to provide evidence-informed prevention training to 100 adults throughout Champaign, Douglas, Ford and Piatt counties. The initiative is aimed at equipping community members with the tools to recognize, respond to and prevent child sexual abuse before it occurs.
Child sexual abuse remains one of the most prevalent public health issues in the United States, impacting one in 10 children before their 18th birthday. Through the award, RACES will offer Darkness to Light’s “Stewards of Children” training, a program designed to empower adults with practical strategies to safeguard children in organizations, families and community settings.
“Darkness to Light is dedicated to providing research-backed training and essential resources to communities to ensure children’s safety. We understand that ending child sexual abuse requires collective action, with each person using their influence to make a difference—and we are committed to supporting those efforts wherever we can,” says Darkness to Light CEO, Rhonda Newton.
Darkness to Light reports that more than 2.4 million adults across 115 countries have completed its training programs, which focus on awareness, stigma reduction and building safe environments for children.
RACES has previously delivered the Stewards of Children training to youth-serving organizations in the region, including Cunningham Children’s Home and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois.
“This training empowers adults to build safer, more protective communities for future generations, “ says Abbi Littell, Prevention Educator Coordinator at RACES. “I’d encourage anyone who works with youth to participate—not only to strengthen their ability to recognize and respond to child sexual abuse, but also to assess the spaces young people spend time in—schools, daycares, places of worship, play spaces, and more—and identify ways to improve safety for everyone.”
Those interested in learning more about the training or scheduling a session can contact RACES at alittell@cu-races.org.
