Community Education Programs

Plain Talk: Personal Safety Education for Kids

Designed for students in Kindergarten through 6th grade, Plain Talk is a comprehensive program that involves school personnel, parents, and children in lessening a child’s vulnerability to violence. The classroom presentation highlights a child’s right to be safe, to be confident, and to make choices. Role-plays address safety strategies to use in a bullying situation, when confronted by a stranger and when someone known to the child is unsafe. A final role-play, with the classroom teacher, models seeking support from a trusted adult. Students in grades 4-6 receive a second classroom presentation during which previously covered safety skills are reinforced and the video Child Sexual Abuse, A Solution is shown.

After the classroom presentation, a thirty minute Review Time allows children to speak individually with the presenters to ask additional questions or to practice skill-building. CARDV staff members collaborate with school personnel to provide ongoing assistance for children who need additional support and adult intervention. If a child makes a disclosure of abuse, school staff are notified and we work together to provide the Department of Human Services or Law Enforcement with the necessary information to keep the child safe.

The workshop for parents includes information on how to build children’s safety skills, how to talk with children about sexual abuse, how to respond to a child’s disclosure, and how to report abuse. School personnel are also provided with information regarding abuse disclosures.

Please view the Plain Talk program guide for teachers and administrators and the Plain Talk Parent Manual for more information.

Taking Action Against Dating Violence (TAADV)

Designed for high school students, TAADV is a three-day curriculum which goes beyond simply addressing issues of personal safety and encourages teens to reexamine the cultural attitudes which foster violence. The first day examines how rigid gender roles lead to unhealthy relationships and dating violence. The second day provides comprehensive information on non-stranger sexual assault and dispels myths and misconceptions surrounding rape. Day three concludes the program with information on building and maintaining healthy relationships, bystander intervention, and ideas on how to support a survivor of sexual assault or dating violence.

Please view the TAADV program guide for more information.

Community Education and Training

Training and information is also available for social service professionals, employers, parent groups, etc. on the dynamics and impact of domestic and sexual abuse, child abuse, teen dating violence, and how to support a survivor. CARDV staff will gladly create a presentation to meet your specific group’s needs.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month Poster Contest

Each April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, CARDV holds a poster contest open to all high school students in Linn and Benton Counties. The theme of this year’s contest was Taking Action Against Sexual Violence. Two contest winners were selected: Megan Sekermestrovich, a junior at Corvallis High School, and Anita Spaeth a senior at Philomath High School. Megan’s poster was chosen for its slogan, “Sexual Assault: It isn’t a Game”, and the clever use of dolls that illuminate the impact of gender stereotypes in our culture and their contribution to sexual violence. Anita’s poster was selected for the colorful, art deco design that draws attention to the strong female figure standing up against rape and sexual assault.

Each winning poster will be distributed for display in local high schools in order to raise awareness about the dynamics and prevalence of sexual assault in our community as well as to provide students with our 24-hour hotline. CARDV staff would like to thank Anita, Megan, and all students who submitted posters, for their effort in working to end sexual violence.