By Tamohara das
The ISKCON Child Protection Office is excited to announce a training program that teaches devotee educators to offer the Good Touch/Bad Touch® child abuse prevention curriculum. The training will be held at New Vrndavana, West Virginia, on May 5, 6, and 7, 2007 (Saturday, Sunday, Monday). The training will be held free of charge – the only expenses will be your own transportation and lodging expenses at New Vrndavana.
This year the ISKCON Child Protection Office became facilitator/trainers for the child abuse prevention curriculum known as “Good-Touch/Bad-Touch.” This age-appropriate curriculum was developed in 1983, has been up-dated through 11 editions, and is widely used in American public schools from pre-school to sixth grade. The GTBT concepts are introduced to children in the first grade or kindergarten and every year thereafter, in a developmentally appropriate manner, so children have a thorough body safety education by the time they reach junior high. The curriculum uses discussion, stories, books, videos, role-plays, and other creative educational methods to reinforce the learning in an interesting way.
Through this curriculum, children learn skills to help protect themselves from sexual, physical or emotional abuse, either from those they know or from strangers. They learn how to deal with abusers, as well as bullying. They learn strategies to handle abusive situations, learn to tell and keep telling trusted adults, and learn that abuse is never their fault. Older children learn Internet safety.
So far, the Alachua Learning Center and New Raman Reti Gurukula, in Alachua, Florida; and the Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and Sandipani Muni School in Vrindavana have adopted this body safety education program, training teachers and obtaining materials. There is also interest in implementing this program in Bhaktivedanta Manor, Hungary, and Chowpatti, to name a few. Other devotees in North America have expressed interest in introducing this curriculum in their Sunday Schools.
Tamohara das (Director) and Mantrini devi dasi, of the ISKCON Central Office of Child Protection, have been certified to facilitate and train others in this program. You will be receiving the same program that is offered by Good Touch/Bad Touch for $350. After taking the 3 day course, devotees will be certified to offer the program for all grades – from Pre –K through 8th grade. We are also able to offer financial help to schools in obtaining curriculum materials.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you will attend, or have any questions. Contact Tamohara das at tamohara@yahoo.com, or call 352-283-5844.
For further information about the Good Touch/Bad Touch program, check their website: www.goodtouchbadtouch.com
Your servants,
Tamohara das and Mantrini devi dasi