As our current environment changes due to COVID-19, we are pivoting to meet the need.
Below you will find some frequently asked questions, important information for Darkness to Light Authorized Facilitators, and resources.
The below information is up-to-date as of July 15, 2020.
Darkness to Light is in the process of completing the Stewards of Children® Virtual Training pilot. We had around 30 facilitators participate in the pilot all providing vital feedback and data in order to move to the next phase for virtual facilitation – the creation of the Virtual Authorized Facilitator Training. This will be required in order to be able to conduct Stewards of Children® virtually. It will require an application, additional training, and a fee.
The application is live on your Facilitator Dashboard. We will be waiving the training fee if you apply to be an Authorized Virtual Facilitator by July 31st, 2020, pending approval.
Darkness to Light hosted a Virtual Stewards of Children® Informational Webinar on July 8th, it can be viewed here.
To give you some insight, below are steps virtual facilitators must take to successfully facilitate virtually:
- Schedule training through Facilitator Dashboard on www.D2L.org.
- Have attendees register through the Darkness to Light website so they have access to the training materials, including the virtual workbook.
- Purchase Virtual Training for each participant for $10 each (bulk discounts apply) or have participants purchase training upon registering.
- Use the Virtual Stewards of Children® Facilitator Guide & Script.
- Encourage participants to engage with the pre & post-survey through the Darkness to Light Portal.
As states and cities start to reopen, we ask that you follow your local government and the CDC guidelines and recommendations. Protecting yourself and trainees is our #1 priority. Cleaning and disinfecting the location where you hold training will require you to: make a plan, implement a plan, and maintain and revise your plan as needed. If you host in-person training, be sure to communicate what is expected of participants and what they can expect once arriving in regard to safety measures.
Here are some general steps you can take to ensure everyone’s safety during the training.
- Assess how big your training space is, and how many participants it can safely seat while remaining socially distant (i.e. 6 feet apart). Let this inform your class size.
- Clean and disinfect the location where you hold your training (please note, this will require you to: make a cleaning plan, implement a plan, and maintain and revise your plan as needed).
- Situate seats 6 feet apart, and 6 or more feet away from where you will be standing to facilitate.
- In order to stay careful around food, we suggest asking participants to bring their own snacks or simply provide individual water bottles.
- Ask participants to wear protective gear and provide them with hand sanitizer.
- Utilize the digital registration tool, and do a roll-call at the beginning of training instead of asking participants to sign-in.
- Have participants grab their own workbooks and pens, instead of handing them out.
Check out the Virtual Training FAQ here.
For the time being, we are asking you to refer interested participants to the existing online Stewards of Children® training and then to host a follow-up group discussion. This option will provide flexibility for those who may be unable to commit several hours to an online webinar right now. The debrief materials are available in English and Spanish.
We ask that in order for you to host these debriefs, you:
- Take Stewards of Children® online. Completing the online training before you facilitate the discussion will help you you understand the participant’s online training experience. You can access it free of charge on your Facilitator Dashboard.
- Download the Personal Prevention Plan from your Facilitator Dashboard.
- Watch the recorded Facilitator Debrief Webinar, available on your Facilitator Dashboard. Going through this webinar will provide you with best practices and access to the Online Facilitator Discussion Guide, which is required to be used together with your Facilitator Guide and Script.
To access and use the Online Facilitator Discussion Guide, you must complete the 30-minute webinar, which can be accessed on your Facilitator Dashboard. If you have any questions, please contact FacilitatorSupport@D2L.org.
The entire Darkness to Light team is working 100% remotely. While phones will be forwarded, the easiest way to contact us at this time is by emailing facilitatorsupport@D2L.org. This inbox is monitored daily and you should expect a response within 24 hours of your request.
Yes! As of now, our print and fulfillment operations are operating normally. If you place an order, please confirm the location the shipment is being delivered to is open for business. If you have questions on orders, please email Libby.Clarke@drummond.com
We launched a new training resource, Protecting Children During a Crisis, in response to the unique challenges of keeping kids safe during this time. We have specifically designed this training to help parents and caregivers navigate through the unusual circumstances they may be facing due to our current global health crisis. The training, provided at no cost, takes 30 minutes and can be taken online at any time. You can access the training by clicking on ‘More Training” under Your Account from your Facilitator Dashboard.
As a facilitator, you can be a part of the conversation in your community. Here are a few ideas to help keep people engaged in prevention during this time:
- Reach out to past training participants and organizations and share the new training with them, remind them you are here if they have any questions.
- Create additional resources based on the need in your specific community to accompany the training.
- Complete the Crisis Plan for Child Sexual Abuse Worksheet & the Family Code of Conduct Worksheet and share as a template.
- Host a discussion via video conferencing with participants after they complete the online training to brainstorm specific scenarios and ways they can continue to keep kids safe. You can also help them create their family code of conduct.
- Work with organizations to help apply the training specifically to their members.
- Flip the Switch Campaign– We have partnered with advocate and champion gymnast Aly Raisman to allow individuals to take Stewards of Children® online at no cost. Use the code FLIPTHESWITCH.
- Talking to Kids About Safety From Sexual Abuse – If a shorter option is more appropriate than the full Stewards of Children® training, we’re making our Talking to Kids About Safety From Sexual Abuse training available at no charge by using code Talk2020. This training is ideal for parents and caregivers who may be home with children and have time to invest in learning more.
- Minimizing Opportunity During Coronavirus Blog Post
- Taking Protective Steps During the Coronavirus Blog Post
- Safe Online Learning Protocols: For Teachers Blog Post
- Safe Online Learning Protocols: For Parents Blog Post
IGNITE 2020 has been postponed to April 27-28, 2021. It will still be located in Charleston, SC We will be releasing more information soon.
Yes! This is a great time to get caught up on adding your past in-person training to the Facilitator Dashboard.