Bravehearts criminologist Carol Ronken (pictured below) will be special guest at the organisation’s third annual breakfast at Port Macquarie Panthers on November 24.

Hosted by Bravehearts Mid North Coast, the fundraising event is going from strength to strength, with proceeds enabling the delivery of personal safety programs in the region.

Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure show is a 40-minute live production tailored for children aged from three to eight and effectively teaches strategies and skills to stay safe in a range of situations from bullying to sexual assault.

Having reached more than 650,000 children nationally since 2008, including 5510 in the Port region (since 2010), the program is educating, empowering and protecting a record number of children with an increasing number of schools and child care centres playing a key role in prevention.

Ms Ronken said keeping children safe is everybody’s business as Bravehearts strives to create child-safe communities across the country.

“Preventing child sexual assault starts with educating and empowering children with vital knowledge and skills to keep safe and encouraging teachers, carers, parents and other members of the community to play their part in creating child-safe environments,” says Ms Ronken.

“Since Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure was introduced it has really been embraced by schools and early learning centres which has given us a significant boost towards our commitment to reaching every Australian child with our child safety message.”

Bravehearts’ Vision is to make Australia the safest place in the world to raise a child with its child safety blueprint The Three Piers to Prevention – Educate, Empower, Protect.

The organisation recently celebrated 20 years of White Balloon Day as communities and organisations from around the country participated in Australia’s biggest child protection challenge.

Bravehearts has also launched a petition to call for a Royal Commission into the Family Law System to help protect children who have been harmed as a result of decisions made in this system: SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Ditto’s 5 Principles:

Based on Bravehearts’ Ditto Keep Safe Adventure program, the 5 basic principles we need to teach our children (remember: it’s never too early to sow the seeds of personal safety) are:

1)  To trust their feelings and to distinguish between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ feelings

2)  To say ‘no’ to adults if they feel unsafe and unsure

3)  That they own their own bodies

4)  That nothing is so yucky that they can’t tell someone about it

5)  That if they feel unsafe or unsure to run and tell someone they trust.

Would you like to talk to someone? Call Bravehearts information and support line on 1800 272 831.