Five Days of Action 2025
April 21-25, 2025
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Help Prevent Child Abuse
At the Y, we believe ALL children deserve the opportunity to discover who they are, and what they can achieve. Every day, we are proud and respectful of the trust parents and communities around the country place in the Y. From youth sports to day and overnight summer camp; from out-of-school time to preschool; our Ys work to ensure your children have a safe, fun filled experience.
At the Y, child protection is our number one priority year-round. During April – Child Abuse Prevention Month – we participate in a week-long campaign— Five Days of Action—to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and empower and equip our communities to prevent it. By taking part in this important campaign and through implementing abuse prevention practices year-round, we can all commit to the safety of all children in our care.
The Know. See. Respond. campaign ties in three impact areas – preventing child sexual abuse at summer camp, in youth sports, and on the internet. Praesidium, Saprea, and Lauren's Kids have shared resources to support this campaign.
We pledge to protect the children we serve, and hope you will too! Stop in April 21-25 to learn more and sign the 2025 Five Days of Action Pledge Card!
Know. See. Respond.
Know
When evaluating camps, sports, and other activities for your child, do you KNOW what questions to ask about abuse prevention? As parents, caregivers, and trusted adults, we play a vital role in protecting children and teens from abuse. Learn the key questions to ask from Praesidium, the YMCA's partner in child abuse prevention: https://www.praesidiuminc.com/6-key-questions-a-parent-should-ask-of-an-organization/
See
When we SEE grooming patterns──methodical, subtle, gradual, and escalating behaviors used to groom a child for sexual abuse──we can identify them, strengthen our intuition, and protect children. Learn the 6 grooming behaviors every parent or caregiver needs to know and what to do if you see them, from our partner, Saprea: https://saprea.org/blog/6-perpetrator-grooming-behaviors/
Respond
RESPONDing starts when a child or teen feels heard and is helped. How can you take action to prevent child sexual abuse? The Trusted Triangle (for younger children) and the Safety NETwork (for older youth) are strategies from Lauren's Kids Safer, Smarter Families Family Safety Toolkit. These resources are designed to help families and caregivers teach personal and digital safety n a comfortable and accessible way.
Grades K-2: https://safersmarterfamilies.org/grades-k-2/
Grades 3-5: https://safersmarterfamilies.org/grades-3-5/
We take our commitment to child protection seriously and we hope you do too.
