Maryville College receives second ‘Partner in Prevention’ designation by Darkness to Light organization
The Center for Campus Ministry Becomes the Latest MC Program To Be Named As Award-Winning Stewards of Children® Program for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
Maryville College has received a second Partner in Prevention status from the Darkness to Light nonprofit organization.
Darkness to Light aims to “empower adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse through awareness, education and stigma reduction,” and its Stewards of Children® training uses the testimony of survivors, child and family experts and parents to teach participants how best to protect at-risk children. According to the organization’s statistics, one in 10 children will become victims of sexual abuse before turning 18.
The Samuel Tyndale Wilson Center for Campus Ministry (CCM) earned the Partner in Prevention designation by providing the training to more than 90% of its management, staff and volunteers. The two-hour training course is designed to help participants prevent and respond to child sexual abuse, according to Darkness to Light, and was created as a national standard to help parents and caregivers recognize organizations that implement prevention policy and staff training.
The MC Division of Behavioral Sciences was also named as a Partner in Prevention, and training for both areas of the College was provided by representatives of the New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center, a Blount County organization that assists childhood victims of sexual and physical abuse.
“The Maryville College Center for Campus Ministry serves as the hub for the Spiritual Life and Community Engagement programs at the college,” said Amy Gilliland, Director of Community Engagement at the College. “As we serve our campus community and our surrounding region, we deeply value the Darkness to Light training offered by New Hope, which teaches participants how to recognize, respond to and report child sexual abuse. In addition to 100% of our staff, nearly 70 Maryville College students with Community-Engaged scholarships also complete the training as part of their preparation to serve and engage with local nonprofits.”
Darkness to Light is an international organization that leads the movement to end child sexual abuse by educating and empowering adults in education, youth service organizations and communities to protect children. The CCM is the flagship facility at the College for various scholar programs, as well as a home to numerous student religious groups and a weekly chapel service for faculty, staff and students.
To learn more about child sexual abuse prevention training or to enroll an organization in Darkness to Light’s “Partner in Prevention” program, please visit www.D2L.org/education/partner-in-prevention.
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Darkness to Light is a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower adults to prevent child sexual abuse. Through education and awareness, the organization seeks to create a safer world for children to grow and thrive. Darkness to Light’s flagship program, Stewards of Children®, is a one-of-a-kind, award-winning training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. More than 1.4 million adults have been trained using the program. For more information, visit www.D2L.org.