HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-01-24, Page 6The photograph shows a lovely
blonde child, a shy smile gracing
her innocent face as she frolics
outdoors. What lies in the
foreground, however, tells a darker
story, as in the grass before her are
the remnants of destroyed toys.
This is an awareness poster from
Rural Response for Healthy
Children (RRHC) reminding that
“abused kids don’t always look it.”
Helping people to spot the subtle
signs of child abuse is one of a
number of initiatives from the
organization’s community action
program for children.
“The programs have evolved from
raising awareness to working with
over 40 partners to address the
needs of children in the
community,” said executive director
Marie Tyler.
The organization was inspired
two decades ago, said Tyler, by a
“group of very dynamic women in
the community who saw a need.
There was work happening with
women and abuse, but they realized
we needed to set up a program to
deal with child abuse and
prevention.”
Since then it has grown to
encompass an amazingly vast
number of programs that deal with
everything from education to
counselling and support. Rural
Response for Healthy Children is
working to improve family life for
babes in arms to mom and dad to
grandparents.
“Many people still don’t realize
there is a whole realm of things
available to them,” said program
services manager, Dorothy
Beuermann.
One of the better known is THE
Bus, a mobile resource lending
library that “attempts to empower
rurally-isolated children and their
families to improve their quality of
life and create and maintain positive
and supportive relationships within
their communities.”
THE Bus also offers a wide
variety of resources to rural
families, such as books, videos,
audio tapes, CDs, theme kits and of
course, toys. “These enhance the
growth of children,” said
Beuermann.
Magazines, brochures and
pamphlets on child care and related
material are also available.
Toys, obtained through the library
are educational and entertaining.
All resources are categorized by
age appropriateness and
developmental factors.
Information on licensed childcare
centres and community information
is also accessible.
One of the longest running
programs is Kids On the Block.
Beuermann said this is a personal
safety program presented to Grades
3 and 4 students in a two-year cycle
at all the elementary schools.
Kids On the Block is a puppet
show geared to prevent and educate
about child abuse. The puppeteers
are trained volunteers.
According to Beuermann the
international Kids On the Block
program covers many issues, but the
two issues we address are physical
and sexual abuse.”
“It gets to the root of protecting
children’s rights,” adds Tyler. “It
gets the message across to children
what they can do if they think their
rights are being violated.”
Beuermann explains the program
carries three key messages to the
children: say no, remove yourself
from the situation and tell someone.
“Through the puppet show they
learn this, then I visit the schools a
week later and re-inforce the
message.”
She adds that they also speak with
teachers on what to watch for.
One of the complements to this is
the SNAP - Personal Safety
Education for Children with
Disabilities. “This deals with all
concerns and issues of personal
safety,” said Beuermann. “We
explain how to understand and
reduce the risk, signs to watch for
and how to report.”
Resources for this are also offered
through Rural Response for Healthy
Children but is housed at 15
Rattenbury St. in Clinton.
In more recent years, work began
on “father involvement” in
parenting with programs such as
Dad and Me and recently with
Caring Dads.
When funding became available
13 years ago the Family Ties
program was put together.
This offers one-on-one
counselling/education with a staff
professional as a need arises. People
can be self-referred to the
program.
“We also go out to the community
if a need has been expressed,” said
Beuermann. She explains that this
generally occurs if a group
identifies a need and decides that a
specific program would be helpful.
“For example a pastor might
identify a need, mobilize and with
our help put a workshop into place,
with discussions occuring to
determine what the workshop will
be,” said Beuermann.
Some of the ones that have been
held are cooking, building
discipline skills, sleep behavours,
bullying and interent safety. “We
had parents and grandparents attend
the internet safety workshop,”
saidBeuermann.
Morning/Afternoon Out
programs are offered in several
communities, providing a time to
socialize, discuss parenting issues
and hot topics and make crafts.
Rural Response for HealthyChildren also offers a schoolreadiness program, Kinderoo, aswell as Make the Connection aninteractive group for caregivers ofinfants using video taping that helps
“them improve how they connect”.
For people to learn more about all
the programs, a newsletter is
available on-line at www.rrhc.on.ca
It includes cutting-edge articles and
schedules.
A total of 6,900 are distributed to
“every family in all the elementary
schools” community partners,
health teams, doctors, social
workers, hair salons, volunteers and
the media.
A small “very committed” staff is
supported by 85 volunteers, said
Tyler. “We couldn’t provide
services without them.
Their contribution is especially
noted during the organization and
hosting of the fundraising Teddy
Bear Dream Auction presented each
fall. “This event would not exist
without that volunteer community,”
said Beuermann.
The staff is comprised of
educators, business people and
social workers. “We are multi-
disciplinary and need to be to serve
families holistically,” said Tyler.
Anyone with concerns or in needof information is invited to call519-482-8777 or toll free 1-800-479-0716 or check the website.So, is the fact that such a serviceexists a sign that the problem is
more prevelant? “Forty years ago
we weren’t hearing about sexual
abuse to the extent we do now,” said
Beuermann.
“Through programs such as ours
people are being educated and
children are learning about their
rights. It’s not that dirty little secret
any more.”
Tyler believes the women’s
movement may have played a part
as it increased awareness of the
rights of all people.
Also, she notes, the changing
world has brought a change to
family life as well, with relatives
living further apart. “If those
supports are missing, that’s where
we can help. We don’t have all the
answers but we have access to those
partners who can help find the
answers. The raison d’être here is to
strengthen that responsive
community.”
Beuermann adds, “We want to
give people as many tools as they
need to make choices to keep abuse
from starting.”.
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2008.
A rural response
Rural Response for Healthy Children is a Huron County organization with a goal of child
abuse prevention. From left: executive director Marie Tyler, executive assistant Audrey
Rooseboom, child care programmer Susan Cowman, program services manager Dorothy
Beuermann and parent support/education worker Jennifer Nyman. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
Women find a rural response to child abuse
System ends Feb. 14
Continued from page 1
upgraded, North Huron put an
interim system in place for 90 days,
which will end on Feb. 14, where
bookings would go through the
recreation department in Wingham,
not the board in Belgrave.
Community Centre board chair
Paul Gowing is confident that the
board now has the tools to make the
necessary changes to keep the
community centre in the hands of
the board. While nothing is set in
stone yet, the board is meeting
tonight to go over the information
they learned from the public
meeting and see what changes they
can make to ensure everyone is
happy.
“We’re going into our next
meeting with all the information
we got from the users of
the community centre. I feel
really positive with all the
discussions that have taken place to
date. I feel there are remedies that
can be put in place here very easily.
We just need a little bit of time,”
Gowing said.
“For the most part, the community
is very happy with how the centre
has been run and their biggest
concerns are that they want to see as
few changes as possible.”
Gowing knew that the
municipality of North Huron had no
intentions of taking control away
from the board. He was eager to
have the public meeting and to
dispel the rumours that were
circulating as soon as possible, so
they could focus together on how to
get the centre in the hands of the
board again.
“Belgrave is a strong community,”
Gowing said. “They put that
building there, the people of the
community, and in nobody’s eyes is
North Huron trying to take that
away from them.”
Last Call to Join!
Local Working Groups
• Free learning program
• Chance to have your say
Are you concerned about how to
keep your drinking water sources clean?
If you are from the Ausable
Bayfield or Maitland Valley
watersheds you have an
opportunity to join one of six
local, broad-based community
working groups in your
Source Protection Region.
What’s involved?
• Take part in a free, engaging adult learning program
about Drinking Water Source Protection
• Attend one (1) three-hour session each month
between February 2008 and June 2009 – about 12
meetings over an 18-month period.
• Enjoy an opportunity to pursue an important
common goal with a diverse group of local people
• Be a voice for your community
There is a group in your area ...
•Clinton Resource Centre
•Exeter, South Huron
Municipal Office
•Listowel,
Memorial Arena
Upper Auditorium
•Kingsbridge,
St. Joseph’s Church Hall
•Parkhill,
North Middlesex Arena
•Wingham,
North Huron Museum
Orientation meetings begin the week of Feb. 5 – 12,
in six different locations.
For more information, including 2008 meeting dates
and times, visit sourcewaterinfo.on.ca or to join a
group please call Mary Lynn MacDonald at
519-235-2610, ext. 228 or 1-888-286-2610,
by Feb. 4 or e-mail facilitator@sourcewaterinfo.on.ca
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen