The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Education department wins child welfare award

    The university’s education department received an award for its groundbreaking efforts to protect children from sexual abuse.
    Dr. Shirley Jacob, interim dean of the College of Education, accepted the Mary Ellen award from Child Advocacy Services on behalf of the Department of Teaching and Learning on Thursday, March 27 at the Columbia Theatre.  
    The ceremony was preceded by a sexual abuse prevention-training documentary titled “Stewards of Children,” which was a collaborative effort of several nonprofit organizations that focus on child welfare. According to Dr. Cynthia Elliot, interim head of the Department of Teaching and Learning, Southeastern’s education department was the first to implement this training as a mandatory part of the curriculum. As a result, the university earned the award named after the first case of child abuse to receive legal intervention in the United States.
    “If [education majors] go through student teaching, they have the training,” said Dr. Cynthia Elliot, interim head of the Department of Teaching and Learning. “We’ve already had at least two teacher candidates that have been disclosed in a kindergarten situation during their field experience, when they weren’t even out as a certified teacher.”
    According to the training video, one in ten children are sexually abused. Children are more likely to disclose sexual abuse to teachers than any other figures in their lives, making it crucial for education majors to become informed about prevention and intervention methods.
    The film covers five steps to protecting children from sexual abuse: learn the facts, minimize opportunity, talk about it, recognize the signs and react responsively. The information and methodology presented in the video were reinforced by sexual abuse survivors and professionals who have worked with abused children.
    “I have a couple of points that are my general focal point,” said Margaret Hoelzer, survivor of sexual abuse who shared her story in the training video. “One of that is being the importance of telling and getting help. I obviously wish every child was as lucky as I was in the fact that the first person they tell would believe them. Unfortunately that’s not the case. If you have to tell 1,000 people, tell 1,000 people. Someone will believe you.”
    Hoelzer is an Olympic medalist who went public with her story after deciding to become an advocate for other abused children. Professionals were invited to attend the training and award ceremony in order to become more competent in keeping children safe from abuse.
    “I work in a domestic violence unit and I thought it was something helpful to partake in,” said Renee Morris, a professional who attended the training. “I thought it was very inviting [and] very informative.”
    For more information regarding child welfare and abuse, go to the Child Advocacy Services website at childadv.net or call 985-902-9583.

     

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