Before We Begin

<v ->Hi, I'm Paige Bagwell.</v> Thank you for being here. No matter how you found your way to this course, I hope you find value in this training, and I hope you learn something new. This is a really important topic. It's important for you. It's important for the youth in your program. It's important for your community. I work at a company called The Redwoods Group, and we created this training. Redwoods is an insurance provider to youth-serving organizations across the country. And we're an insurance provider with a mission. That mission is to create safe communities for all. Throughout the next hour, you'll hear from me and Redwoods staff. All of us have experience with youth programs and nonprofits. And we also have experience with this extremely difficult topic. I don't expect this training to be easy for you, but I do expect it to be helpful, and I do know that it is necessary. The statistics on child sexual abuse tell us that some of you watching this will have experienced abuse in your lifetime. If that's you, I'd like to take a moment and speak directly with you. I am sorry. Along the way, someone let you down, whether that's a relative, a staff member, or another trusted person in your life, something was done to you that should not have happened. There's no excuse for this. Abuse should never be allowed to happen. And we're here today for you. Some of the content presented may be triggering. Take your time. But I ask you, please don't walk away. Finish this training so that we can all work together to prevent abuse. If you're someone who is still experiencing abuse today, help is available. You are not alone, and you deserve better.

Childhelp | National Child Abuse Hotline | 1-800-422-4453

https://www.childhelp.org/

24/7 confidential support for child sexual abuse.

Darkness to Light | National Helpline | 1-866-367-5444 / Text 741741

https://www.d2l.org/

24/7 confidential support for child sexual abuse.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children | National Tipline | 1-800-843-5678

https://www.missingkids.org/

Reporting child pornography or child sex trafficking.