Missing Children’s Network offering workshops to keep children safe in real life and online

Anew program available through the Missing Children’s Network (MCN) offers workshops tailored to parents, guardians and youth from different age groups to help avoid the exploitation of children.

The Bedford-farnham Community Learning Centre will host a MCN workshop at the end of January.

“We would rather be proactive than wait until a child goes missing,” explained MCN Director General Pina Arcamone.

“In our experience, any child can be at risk,” she said.

According to Arcamone, the program, launched 11 months ago, is primarily offered in schools, but is available for community organizations and youth groups as well.

The youth workshop, called SHINE ((Self-esteem, Healthy relationships, Independence, No means no, Empowerment) was designed to address youth aged 10-13 and deals with assertiveness, independence, setting boundaries, sex gender stereotypes, and the importance of developing healthy relationships with others.

Arcamone said the program is also available in adapted versions for children with special needs, LGBTQ youth and First Nations youth.

The workshops address real world interactions and boundaries as well as issues that can arise online.

“We’re talking about not just physical or emotional, but virtual boundaries,” Arcamone said.

“You really have to think before you click on your mouse.”

“A lot of very young children are on social media at a very young age,” commented Arcamone, adding that there have been cases of children as young as 8 years old sending inappropriate photos.

“Technology is moving at such a quick pace, it’s difficult for parents and educators to keep up,” Arcamone said.

Parallel to the youth workshops are seminars available to parents and guardians to teach how to communicate with teens, how to offer support when they are in distress, what resources are available and how to spot red flags.

“Something could be happening with your child,” she explained, while children are outside of the home environment. She used the example of coming home with expensive gifts as a possible red flag.

“We want to plant positive seeds before kids reach a point where they are trying to solve their own problems,” commented Arcamone.

Various workshops are given regularly by the MCN from children from Kindergarten through high school.

As young as five years old they are taught about consent, and taught to learn their own basic personal information; name, address. They are also taught how to find safe adults and safe spaces, and what to say during an emergency.

“The content evolves as kids get older,” she said, to topics like being a good digital citizen and cyber-bullying.

According to the MCN website in Quebec alone, there are over 5,000 reports made on a yearly basis, 90 per cent of which are runaways between 12-17 years old.

Arcamone said the mission of the MCN is to eradicate child sexual exploitation. Providing workshops like SHINE and other resources is a means of reaching youth and offering support before a situation becomes extreme.

The Bedford-farnham Community Learning Centre will host a MCN workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at Butler Elementary School (19 Rix Street).

The workshop will take place from 6:30 -8:30 p.m. is designed for parents and guardians and will deal with safety online and in the real world, with a focus on building strong boundaries, healthy relationships and critical thinking skills.

For more information or to reserve a spot, email baileyh@etsb.qc.ca.