I spent the start of last week at the Child Abuse Summit at the University of Minnesota, hosted by the Otto Bremer Center for Safe and Healthy Children. I’ve presented my own story at this summit before, but this year, in my new role, it hit differently. The room was full of experts sharing valuable insights, survivors sharing their stories, and practitioners offering hard-won lessons from the field.
This year’s session focused on child sexual abuse and featured information on how abuse occurs within organized sports, spiritual communities, and other trusted institutions. A multi-disciplinary panel discussed how they respond to reports of child sexual abuse. Aly Gray, who founded Bracelets for Bravery, shared her story as a survivor. The conference closed highlighting a case out of St. Louis County – State v. Clint Massie, a case out of a church community that has national attention.
I’d highly recommend attending a summit like this one, or taking time to look closely at the work other organizations in this space are doing. The more we understand each other’s work, the better equipped we all are to keep kids safe.
A reminder: if you’d like to learn more about Safe Passage and our work at the state capitol, we’re hosting our Legislative Breakfast and Fundraiser this October 13th at the Minneapolis Club. It will be a great opportunity to connect with those in the field and those who support our work.