Conference to bring child sexual abuse prevention leaders from across the country together around the common goal of making communities safer for children. 
Atlanta, GA – Darkness to Light has officially announced the Ignite 2017 National Conference sessions and speakers for the first conference of its kind to be organized by the child sexual abuse prevention leaders. The conference will be held October 10 and 11, 2017, at the Boy Scouts of America Atlanta Area Council in Atlanta, GA. Early registrants will receive a discounted rate by registering before July 31.
The conference will host distinguished panelists and speakers, including child sexual abuse professionals and experts, researchers, and individuals from a wide variety of disciplines who share a commitment to the prevention of child sexual abuse. The conference will welcome Jim Clemente as keynote speaker, a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent/Profiler, former Prosecutor for the New York City Law Department, and internationally recognized expert in the fields of child sexual victimization, sexual homicide, and child abduction. Clemente consults on criminal and civil cases and provides commentary for multiple news and entertainment shows. He is the technical adviser and freelance writer for Criminal Minds, Secrets & Lies, and Those Who Kill, and he produces and is on-air talent for several television productions, including Killer Profile and Crime Time.
“We are very excited about the level of enthusiasm from speakers, sponsors, and attendees for this unique conference,” said Katelyn N. Brewer, President and CEO of Darkness to Light. “We are bringing together the country’s top advocates for the protection of children for an opportunity to share their knowledge of child sexual abuse prevention, connect with other successful community initiatives, and leave with the best ideas to bring back to their communities to keep children safe.”
“The speaker roster for Ignite 2017 represents many organizations that play a critical role in the prevention of child sexual abuse in communities – child advocacy organizations, nonprofit organizations, private business leaders, youth serving organizations, as well as therapists, counselors, and social workers,” said Erika Rowell, Darkness to Light’s Director of Programs. “We know when these voices come together to support each other, we get closer to our common goal of ending child sexual abuse across the country.”
- Understanding the Needs of Survivors
- Get the Word Out! Strategies for Successfully Marketing Your Prevention Initiative
- Responding to Crisis in Your Community
- Re-energizing Community Initiatives and Reaching Tipping Point
- Fundraising: Raising Money for Your Initiative
- Thinking Outside the Box: How to Successfully Integrate Child-Focused Prevention Educations Into Your Own Community Initiative
Conference panelists and speakers include representatives from the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children, CARE HOUSE, The Citadel – The Military College of South Carolina, The Ford Family Foundation, the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, KIDS Center of Central Oregon, the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, YMCA of the Triangle, and Darkness to Light.
Conference sponsors include the Redwoods Group and the Monique Burr Foundation.
For more information and to register for the conference please visit www.D2L.org/Ignite2017.
###
About Darkness to Light
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 an award-winning certification that teaches adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. More than 1.4 million adults including educators, youth serving professionals, organization volunteers, and community members have been certified in the program. Stewards of Children® is the only evidence-informed certification of its kind, with the largest network of child protection advocates in the world as facilitators. For more information, visit www.D2L.org.
I am 57 years old and was a victim of sexual abuse and rape at the age of 4. The abuse continued until the age of 11. It was a brother in law. My sister had 4 children for him, one was a girl. They divorced and she gave custody of the children to him. He sexual abused his daughter from a very young age and at the age of 14 she was rated by her father and became pregnant. The father forced her to give the baby up for adoption. There is so much more to say but I will end with this. After two years of continuances and postponements, Next week, on Tuesday, August 8th, we will be in court. He is pleading not guilty to these crimes and wants a jury trial. The prosecution has DNA tests that prove he sixth father of this girl. It will be an emotional week for both my niece and myself. Is there any advise or encouraging words you can offer us. My stomach is already turning just thinking of seeing this man after all these years. At least he will be in handcuffs.