Info for Parents
Called To Protect™ For Youth
Information For Parents - About The Program
The statistics are staggering. Before the age of 18, one in four girls and one in eight boys will be sexually abused. And starting at about the fifth grade, kids can be especially vulnerable. That’s when they begin spending more time away from their parents, their curiosity about sexual development increases, and they start testing limits and taking risks.
Called to Protect™ for Youth is the first comprehensive program specifically designed to teach middle- and high-school youth self-protection skills within the teachings of the Catholic Church. The program uses a three-part DVD series and guided group discussions and activities to teach young people how to recognize their personal boundaries, how to respond if someone tries to violate their boundaries, and what to do if someone is sexually abusing them or someone they know.
The hosts
Research shows that child molesters use the same methods time after time, so the more youths know about how molesters operate, the safer they are. That’s where Katie and Szucceed come in. These two young adults host the series with a manner that puts young people at ease. Katie and Szucceed present just what they need to know in a non-threatening way that is also educationally and spiritually sound.
Bishop Gregory Aymond introduces the program to the young people and concludes it, affirming for them that most adults love and care for them, and that we as a faith community support them as they grow into wholesome – and holy – young adults.
Part One
In Part One, Katie and Szucceed describe the three types of boundaries: physical, emotional and behavioral. They show interviews with child molesters who describe the methods they used to violate kids’ boundaries, and interviews with kids who talk about how their own boundaries were violated, in language and terms appropriate for sixth graders on up.
The students develop posters that illustrate the three types of boundaries and share what they have learned with one another.
Part Two
After learning how to recognize their boundaries, kids need to know what to do if someone tries to violate them. In Part Two of Called to Protect™ for Youth, four young actors join Katie and Szucceed to demonstrate a variety of ways young people can respond. Each of the actors portrays a different personality type — shy, funny, spunky, and wholesome — so all kids watching the program learn methods that will work for them!
The students are then given the opportunity to do some “acting” of their own. In small groups, they develop skits around various scenarios of boundary violations. They are given the chance to present these skits to the larger group, thereby reinforcing their knowledge and affirming their support of each other in addressing this issue.
Part Three
For some young people, sexual abuse has already happened—or maybe it is still happening. And they haven’t told anyone. They’re living with the secret, trying to pretend that it doesn’t bother them. Katie and Szucceed show interviews with kids who have been molested, explaining why it was so difficult for them to tell someone, and interviews with child molesters describing the methods they used to keep kids from telling. Then, Katie and Szucceed bring back their young friends to demonstrate ways kids can tell their parents or another trusted adult if someone is abusing them or someone they know.
The students then develop a skit in the form of a commercial or a newscast, explaining how young people can tell someone they’ve been abused.
Bishop Aymond concludes the final session by reminding the students that they are loved and are sacred.