Author: Jeanette

It's no secret that children who have parents who not only take an interest in their activities, but help guide good choices through boundaries and consequences, tend to make healthy decisions throughout their lives. Most parents take an active role in their children's school career and financial habits. While many discuss dating and relationships (in fact, more than they talk about drugs and alcohol), many leave out conversations about unhealthy relationships and dating abuse. Parental involvement in this area provides a protective barrier to safeguard children from engaging in risky relationships. What are steps you can take as a parent…

Nobody wants to imagine that young teens could be anything but smitten and the kind of significant other that fairy tales are made of. The fact that there is a month dedicated to raising awareness for teen dating violence, however, should be enough to peak our attention and have us asking 'why'. This is an issue that not only impacts the children involved, but parents, educators, friends, and the community as well. One in three teens will experience dating abuse before they become adults. To begin, let's take a look at what defines dating violence. Dating violence can happen in…

We have been encouraging parents to monitor their children's online activity since the birth of the Safe Communities Coalition in 2022. Most of what you're looking for on a phone, or any kind of online platform, seems relatively straight forward. Are your kids messaging strangers, are they giving out personal information, are they sending or receiving inappropriate conversations or pictures, are they accessing pornography? All that should be easy to spot, however, due to the nature of human trafficking and the subtle manipulation that happens over time, identifying someone who is trying to groom your child or loved one into…

If I say the words 'human trafficking' to you, what comes to mind? A white van? A third-world country? A semi full of women and children being held against their will? If you saw last week's blog, you know that this type of trafficking only accounts for less than 3% of the victims. The other 97% are trafficked by someone they know and often love. So what does that look like in a community?This week we're going to talk about some of the myths vs realities of human trafficking and what we, as a community, can be aware of to…

If you've seen The Sound of Freedom, it probably cemented your idea of what human trafficking looks like: children lured by strangers into a trap, whisked away from their families, and sent to a third world country to serve as money-making pawns for the cartels. Yes, that is the gut-wrenching reality some children face, but not as many as you would think. In fact, this accounts for less than 3% of trafficked individuals.The remaining 97% of trafficking victims know their trafficker at some level. Sadly, the vast majority of them have been so manipulated that they would tell you, not…

In 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in America. While we celebrate the end of that dark time in our history, the unfortunate reality is that slavery is still very much alive. It is estimated that, in America alone, there are over 403,000 people being trafficked for either labor or sex. Because of Iowa's central location connecting major cities like Chicago, Kansas City, and Omaha it offers a unique -dare I say- support to this industry, which means that 'Iowa nice' isn't enough to make us immune to this issue. Traffickers take advantage of the mid-western attitude that bad things…

It's hard to believe that the curtain is closing on another year. Whether you are celebrating a happy and prosperous 2024, or toasting to putting the year behind you and starting fresh, we want to wish you all a happy and safe New Year.New Years Eve is known for its alcoholic content. After all, tradition does call for a champagne toast at midnight. For many, that's not where the beverages begin, or end. Even after enjoying a few alcoholic beverages, with a little bit of forethought, you can help ensure a healthy and happy start to 2025 for you, your…

Holidays are a time for family, friends, and celebration. We have a few simple tips for you to ensure that the holiday spirit rests upon your home and family throughout the season.If you are looking to protect yourselves from anyone wishing to steal the joy (among other things) that comes this time of year, we've got some ideas for you: Use caution when posting to social media! Don't make any posts revealing that you'll be away from your home for an extended amount of time. This gives any watchful eyes knowledge of when they can get their Grinch on!As tempting as…

The stakes are too high for this to be a case of  "hindsight is always 20/20." Too many parents find themselves in this situation when they realize that their child has been lured in by a predator. Whether a child is targeted online or could be abused by someone they know, the grooming techniques used to gain a child's trust are essentially the same.Look for the 7 P's of Grooming:Praise (flattery): So how do you determine that this is more than just innocent compliments? After all, we all know that our children are beautiful, smart, funny...everything good that a predator…

Several months ago I was fortunate enough to get to spend some time in a classroom with young Dodgers. I was giving a little presentation on online safety to students and parents and I asked the children how many of them talk to friends while they are playing games online. As expected, several students raised their hands. I then posed the question, "how many of you talk to kids you've never actually seen in real life?" Again, the majority of those same kids raised their hands. I ended my line of questioning by asking them if those kids that they've…