Empower Children to Speak Up
Keeping children safe is more difficult than ever with the rise of digital media and online platforms.
Increased social media usage among teens adds another dimension of safety for parents to consider on a daily basis.
Children deserve safe spaces both off and online. The Kids Voices Matter program from A Courageous Voice empowers children to speak up and advocate for their safety.
Discover how the Kids Voices Matter program can help your child protect themselves from abuse and online threats.
Key Takeaways
- Teach Safety Rules: The Kids Voices Matter program introduces five safety rules that are key for off and online child safety.
- Interactive Learning: Certified facilitators use fun lessons, videos, worksheets, and music to engage children in empowering lessons. This hands-on approach helps children learn from direct experience.
- Identifying Trusted Adults: Kids learn to spot trustworthy adults, like parents or teachers. Knowing who they can talk to when they feel scared or uncomfortable empowers youth to seek help confidently.
- Creating Safe Digital Spaces: Teach children about digital threats and proper online behavior to keep them safe from predators. Encourage open communication so your child feels comfortable seeking your help in dangerous situations.
The Kids Voices Matter Program
The Kids Voices Matter program is one of two main programs from A Courageous Voice aiming to stop child abuse, neglect, and trafficking. Kids Voices Matter helps children and teens stay safe by encouraging them to speak up for their own safety.
Evidence-Based, Age-Appropriate Curriculum
The Kids Voices Matter program uses evidence-based, age-appropriate curriculum to educate and empower children and teens. It covers essential topics like bullying, cyberbullying, and various forms of abuse.
These lessons match the developmental stages of kids, ensuring they absorb crucial information effectively.
Certified facilitators use interactive methods to simplify complex subjects. They put each lesson into perspective by teaching
strategies for dealing with real-life situations both off and online.
Interactive Learning
Children learn better with hands-on methods. Our certified facilitators utilize videos, worksheets, music, and more to create an interactive experience that engages kids and teens alike.
Digital dangers feel more real when discussed in a way children and teens understand. Educators can adjust the Kids Voices Matter program curriculum to suit
any age group from young children to older teens.
We encourage kids to participate actively in discussions rather than just listening passively. This
builds their confidence in speaking up about their feelings and concerns, both offline and online.
Five Safety Rules for Children
Including children in prevention education is vital for off and online child safety. The Kids Voices Matter program introduces five essential safety rules:
- Know What's Up: Children learn to understand and recognize what is considered safe and unsafe offline and online. They become aware of potential dangers and learn how to handle them.
- Spotting Red Flags: Children learn to recognize signs of danger, like inappropriate behavior from adults or strange messages online. They are taught to trust their instincts if something feels wrong or unsafe.
- Make a Move: We urge children to act if they feel unsafe and build their confidence to make choices that keep themselves safe. This could mean leaving a situation, calling for help, or seeking out a safe adult immediately.
- Talk It Up: We encourage children to share their experiences with safe adults who will believe and support them. They learn the importance of open communication and the significance of finding and using their own voices.
- No Blame No Shame: Children are assured that they will not be blamed or punished for speaking up about any issue they face. We want to stress that it is never the child's fault if they are in an unsafe situation. Seeking help is crucial for their well-being. 
Identifying Safe Adults
Having conversations with children about safe adults helps them know who they can turn to if they're scared or in danger. Teach children how to recognize trustworthy adults like parents, teachers, and neighbors.
Kids should feel comfortable telling these adults any concerns they may have without fear.

The Kids Voices Matter program includes important lessons on identifying safe adults. By learning these skills, kids become more confident in
seeking help when needed. Empowering children with this knowledge also helps protect them from
online predators and
abusive individuals.
Importance of Empowering Children
Empowering children to speak up enables them to prevent, recognize, and respond effectively to bullying, online harassment, abuse, and digital dangers.
Protecting Children from Online Predators and Abusive Individuals
Awareness is crucial for protecting children from online predators and abusive individuals, especially in today’s digital age. Predators often use social media, gaming platforms, and chat rooms to exploit innocent users.
Teaching children about the dangers of
sharing personal information online is important. However, they can still encounter risks online even if they don't share sensitive details.
Essential tools such as firewalls, monitoring software, and regular conversations about safe internet practices can further limit online risks. Encourage your kids to report any suspicious behaviors or messages they encounter.
Educate them on
recognizing grooming tactics and help them identify
red flags in their interactions. Empowering your child with knowledge ensures they stay vigilant against potential risks to both off and online child safety.
Statistics on Child Sexual Exploitation
Knowing the serious statistics about child sexual exploitation is important. This helps us understand why we must empower and educate children to protect themselves.
In 2023, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received over 36 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation to its CyberTipline.
Additionally, over
90% of child sex abuse cases involve family members or someone the family knows.
These statistics underscore the critical need for vigilance and
proactive measures to protect children. The numbers reflect a
growing concern and highlight the importance of
educational programs and
vigilant monitoring.
Creating Safe Digital Spaces for Children
Creating safe digital spaces for children is crucial to protecting them online. The
Kids Voices Matter program teaches children to identify digital dangers and respond effectively in various ways.
Identifying and Responding to Digital Threats
Children face many online dangers, and the risks are only increasing. Protecting them requires vigilance and proactive steps.
- Explain Cyberbullying: Discuss what cyberbullying is and how it can affect your child emotionally and mentally. Encourage your child to report any cases of cyberbullying they experience or witness.
- Privacy Settings: Teach your child how to use privacy settings on social media platforms so they can control who sees their information and posts. This prevents strangers from accessing personal information your child may have revealed.
- Report Suspicious Activities: Teach your child how to make use of reporting tools on each platform. This helps them report any uncomfortable or suspicious behavior they see. Be sure to reassure your child that they will not be in trouble for seeking help.
- Monitor Online Activity: Keep an eye on the websites and apps your child uses and regularly review their activity to spot any unusual behavior or threats as early as possible. Use parental controls to limit access to inappropriate content and set time limits for internet usage.
- Use Reliable Software: Install reputable parental control software that can block harmful websites and monitor your child’s online interactions.
- Stay Informed About New Threats: Keep yourself updated on emerging digital dangers so you can protect your child more effectively.
Effective Tips for Online Child Safety
Empowering children to safely navigate the digital world is crucial to their safety. Educating them about the digital dangers they may encounter and how to respond to those threats can help keep them safe online.
- Digital Citizenship Education: ACV’s Kids Voices Matter program teaches kids important lessons about digital dangers, digital citizenship and cyberbullying. It also gives essential tips for staying safe online.
- Teach Five Safety Rules: The five safety rules taught through the Kids Voices Matter program help teach children to recognize unsafe situations both off and online, identify safe adults, and learn when to say no.
- Educate Children About Online Dangers: Explain the risks of interacting with strangers online and the potential for encountering inappropriate content. Teach your child that not everyone online is safe. Help them recognize tricks used by predators, like pretending to be their age or giving gifts to gain trust.
- Set Boundaries for Digital Use: Set clear rules about which sites are safe. Make sure your child understands to never share personal information online, such as your address, school details, and phone numbers.
- Encourage Open Communication: Ensure your child knows they can always talk to you if they feel uncomfortable or scared online. They should feel comfortable sharing their online experiences in the event they encounter something troubling or confusing.
- Identify Trusted Adults: Help your child identify safe adults they can turn to if they need help or feel threatened online. Identifying safe adults empowers children to seek help and break their silence when they are in danger, preventing further harm.
Child Sexual Exploitation: Alarming Statistics
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported a disturbing increase in online child exploitation cases.
Insights from NCMEC's 2023 CyberTipline Reports
NCMEC’s CyberTipline received more than 36 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2023, a 12% increase from the year prior. The growing number of reports highlights the urgent need for effective prevention programs to protect children from child sex abuse both off and online.
Children face
substantial risks from predators, making it critical to educate them on recognizing and responding to threats.
The data from these reports underscore the importance of
teaching kids about digital safety early on. Providing children with tools to identify harmful situations can play a crucial role in reducing safety risks.
You can help prevent online exploitation by creating
safe digital spaces for children and teens and informing them of their resources, like safe adults who can help in threatening scenarios.
Child Sex Abuse and Family Members
Over 90% of child sex abuse cases involve family members or someone the family knows. This staggering statistic highlights the importance of educating children on recognizing grooming behavior and warning signs of exploitation.

Children need to know that abusers can be people they trust. Learning how to identify inappropriate actions is important for their safety.
Teaching kids about safe adults can help prevent abuse by creating a support system. Encourage children to speak up if they feel uncomfortable or threatened, even around close relatives.
Empowering kids with this knowledge helps protect them from both
online predators and
abusive individuals in their immediate circle.
About A Courageous Voice
A Courageous Voice is a nonprofit organization that focuses on child safety and offers programs called
"Kids Voices Matter" and
"Stronger Together." These programs help protect children both offline and online. We serve Wayne & Oakland Counties by providing essential prevention education programs to protect and empower children and teens.
Mission & Values
Every child's voice is important and valuable. We must listen to and protect our youth.
A Courageous Voice stands for protecting and empowering youth against child sex abuse. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our goal is to teach Wayne and Oakland Counties about child safety risks, both offline and online.
Conclusion
Children need the skills to protect themselves in unsafe situations, especially in today’s digital world. Empowering kids to speak up is crucial to protecting them from digital dangers and abusive individuals. The Kids Voices Matter program equips them with tools and knowledge for safety.
By finding and using local resources like the Kids Voices Matter program, you can help
make a safer future for all children.
Keeping Kids Safe Off and Online
Why is it important for kids to speak up?
When a child has the courage to break their silence on unsafe experiences, they prevent further harm from coming to them. When adults help young people speak out when they feel unsafe, they can change lives and lower the risks to children and teens.
How can parents encourage their kids to speak up?
Parents can listen actively and create a safe space for sharing. By creating a culture of open communication and support, children feel safe to speak up. This helps them protect themselves.
Can role-playing activities aid in empowering kids to speak up?
Role-playing activities can be a significant help in empowering kids to speak up about their experiences. Our certified facilitators of the Kids Voices Matter program use interactive lessons that encourage active participation and understanding. Practicing real-life situations can help children feel more confident. This confidence can help them speak up in abusive situations.
Is the Kids Voices Matter program beneficial for older children and teenagers?
The Kids Voices Matter program uses lessons that fit each age group. This means your five-year-old will learn differently than your sixteen-year-old. Our certified facilitators can adjust lessons to suit any age group. Older kids and teens benefit more from discussing online dangers than younger children who use the internet less.
