There are some topics I wish we didn’t have to address - child abuse in faith communities is one of them.  Like many, I hate to think that those that say they follow God’s teachings and desire to live in holiness and worship are choosing to indulge in sinful, lustful desires that rob the innocence of children. However what I do appreciate hearing is how faith communities are striving to create safe places for past offenders and children. 

Nostalgia: (noun) a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.

If I had a dollar every time someone said, “too bad we can’t go back to the days when we didn’t have to do all this abuse prevention stuff,” I would be a very wealthy person. 

Twenty-five years ago my husband and I were living 20 kilometers from Vienna in a small town called Traiskirchen.  The town is well known for its wine and heurigers. The city is also known nationwide and internationally for its refugee camp the "Bundesbetreuungsstelle für Asylwerber." 

It is the refugee camp that drew us to Traiskirchen.  Here we met and assisted incredible people from Eastern Europe, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Syria as they awaited papers and word of a new home.

One young man we met was Abraham[1].  He was 19 years of age and had grown up in Syria. 

Last night I saw Spotlight.

Today I feel numb! 

Spotlight is a 2015 American drama film directed by Thomas McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Josh Singer.

The story is about The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, a newspaper investigative unit in the United States. The real Spotlight Team earned the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

You are well underway into a new program year!  How is registration processes? 

The purpose of this blog entry is to encourage you to take time 6-8 weeks into the program year to review your registration forms, highlighting things that should be communicated to teachers, helpers, and program personnel. 

I remember the phone call vividly, “Melodie, your mother and my mother are good friends, I would love to meet you.  Could I take you out for hot chocolate after school next week?” Deb Kuyers entered my world - I was barely out of elementary school, and this beautiful, vivacious high-school junior wanted to spend time with me! That phone call changed the course of my life.

Forty years later, I still remember the investment Deb made in my young life. I salute my mother for encouraging Deb to call me. Though my godly, stay-at-home mother was an amazing woman, she recognized that other individuals could play an important role in building upon the foundation she and my father had laid.

When planning a program for children and young people you may be required by law to demonstrate compliance with a set of provincial or state requirements. For school-age programs, these will include issues such as food-handling, child sign-in, and sign-out procedures, building cleanliness, child-to-staff ratios, space requirements, and requirements for the types of activities offered.

Research in all areas of education has shown that low staff to child ratios are critical for learning to take place. Also, one of the ways an organization can demonstrate that they are fulfilling their duty of care to their staff and volunteers is to manage appropriately child-to-staff ratios.

A question was asked, “Have we seen the end of the additional requirements that will be placed on us, to qualify for abuse coverage?”

The countdown’s on - we are weeks away from another program year.  Many organizations take a well-earned break during the summer months but they know they may need to recruit additional staff or volunteers for the Fall.

My role models (good and bad) helped shape my young years.  So, when  I was 15 years of age I began volunteering in the summers working with children at camps and missions, and during the school year as a Candy Striper in a Veterans Hospital.  They were happy days where I was able to give back and become a role model to many.  I learned many rewarding skills and gained terrific experience...

We definitely think it’s a great idea to utilize young people to work with children. Here are 20 important things to keep in mind when working with youth volunteers and staff ...