The work we do as Darkness to Light Facilitators is important for those in our communities – there is no doubt. We learn in our facilitator training that we will become someone our community will seek out when they need for child sexual abuse prevention arises.
However minimal the costs are to deliver a Stewards of Children® training, there are still costs associated with holding a successful training event. Although prevention is a passion project for many of us, our time is valuable and resources are limited. There is no reason not to look for opportunities to compensate us for our time and what we spend.
There are many organizations within our communities, and those that extend from our personal lives, that we can reach out to in an effort to help us fund our work. As an independent facilitator, finding a funding source was key for my ability to make an impact in my community especially because it was a new community for me.
When my family moved across the country I knew that I still wanted to be able to deliver the Stewards of Children® training. Because I was new to California, I had my work cut out for me. One way that I was able to continue to make an impact was to find funding through my sorority, Kappa Delta.
Kappa Delta supports the work of Prevent Child Abuse America and the Prevent Child Abuse state organizations where they have collegiate and alumnae chapters. Through their KiDS grant, I leveraged my membership in Kappa Delta along with my passion for prevention and was awarded one of 8 grants for 2019.
Partnerships such as this are key. I encourage you to do your own self-inventory and identify the organizations that have played an important role in your own life. Maybe it is through a sorority or fraternity, a community group, membership in a national or international organization, or perhaps a partnership that you have because of a child in your life (PTA, Scouts, or sports organization).
Call, email, or meet with someone you know from the group. If you don’t know someone personally, try to identify someone who can make an introduction for you. Once you have the introduction, make your case for prevention and why it would benefit both of you to establish a partnership. Remember though, new relationships can take time. Plant seeds, care for those seeds, and you will be rewarded for your efforts.
Tracy Leonard is a Darkness to Light Certified Instructor and Authorized Facilitator. In her 6 years with Darkness to Light, she’s trained over 1,200 adults. Her newest venture is as the Principal and Owner of Safe Spaces, a firm focusing on creating resilient families, communities, and organizations through workshops, training, technical assistance, and consulting.
Her background as a classroom teacher, elementary site administrator and child abuse prevention public educator with SCAN of Northern Virginia has served her well in her continued efforts to encourage positive parenting and community action.
Tracy lives in Dublin, California with her husband and two children and has been actively working on establishing Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® in the state. She is an active contributor to the San Francisco Bay Area Mom’s Blog.
