Members at large, also known as at-large members, typically refer to individuals who are part of the committee but do not hold specific officer positions or titles. They serve as general members and often play important roles in decision-making, oversight, and providing diverse perspectives. Given your involvement with Plan to Protect® and your desire to prevent abuse, you might find it interesting to know that members at large can play a crucial role in ensuring accountability and transparency within organizations, especially those focused on abuse prevention.

Victims often stay silent about their abuse. They may fear they will not be believed, or fear further abuse from the offender. Too often we hear that the blame for the abuse is placed on the victim rather than the offender.

Statements like these fall under the term victim-blaming:

• “She was flirting with him!”
• “He is known to be a liar.”
• “What was she thinking would happen if she dressed that way?”
• “He has chosen an alternative lifestyle and brought it on himself!”

We want to strongly caution you against approaching any reports or concerns of abuse from that perspective. Instead, we encourage you to appoint an individual to be responsible for receiving reports that will advocate for transparency and truth and also to be an advocate for the victim. 

How a "Speak Up" Culture Improves Child Safety
Written by KidCheck; Posted with Permission

Organizations dedicated to children and youth have an excellent opportunity to create a  safe and welcoming  environment by fostering transparency and encouraging open dialogue between leadership, staff, volunteers, and families.

Encouraging...

We can do better!  We must do better!

I woke in the middle of the night!  My heart was heavy … I could not sleep!  So, I put the tea kettle on and I decided to catch up on my reading.

• I reread a draft of an article on Lessons Learned from Fallen Leaders.
• I read an email that had just come in – An Open Letter to Victims of Clergy Abuse! 
• I turned my attention to social media, where I read a flurry of social media posts criticizing leaders for their response to allegations of abuse. 
• I read of a series of incidences of abuse within the cheer industry.
• I read the results of the investigation into allegations against Ravi Zacharias.

As a person of faith, I find comfort in reading the Psalms and Proverbs – but even there I read of oppression, plagues, abuse, the burden of suffering due to poor choices, and the enemy pursuing his victim and overcoming him.  The folly of one’s ways. 

When I read, I am challenged … provoked to be better … to do more … to feel deeply about the hurts and pains of this world. 

Are you challenged when you read these accounts?  Or do you just shake your head and criticize the offenders. 

Is there anything that incites you and fuels your passion to do more, to be better yourself?

Source: with permission: https://telioslaw.com/blog/ten-ways-land-court-over-sexual-harassment

Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Al Franken—and the list goes on. High-profile sexual harassment allegations have shaken up Hollywood, the media, and politics. But don’t think that this trend is confined to celebrities. They are not the only ones who can, and do, abuse power. Sexual harassment by employees, if not dealt with swiftly, can create a toxic work environment as well as land even small organizations in hot water. In light of this timely topic, here are ten easy ways to end up in court over sexual harassment. Topics in this “what not to do” list are examples taken from actual cases. 

Before diving into this list, it is important to remember when organizations can be held legally liable for sexual harassment that happens to their employees. A key defense exists to sexual harassment liability for organizations, called the Faragher/Ellerth defense. In order to take advantage of this defense, an organization must prove “(a) that the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly any sexually harassing behavior, and (b) that the plaintiff employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventative or corrective opportunities provided by the employer or to avoid harm otherwise.”1 With that in mind, let’s dive into the list, as many of these easy ways to fail are ways to lose this defense.

“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” Charles Swindoll

One of the biggest decisions we have to make during our lives is whether or not we will become parents.  For some, this was a no-brainer - What do you want to be when you grow up?  A mommy, or a daddy!

When we had children, did we ever anticipate that we would be bringing children into a COVID world and needing to protect them not only from predators, allergens, childhood illnesses, but also pandemics?

Today, desperate parents are trying to make the decision as how best to educate their children in a COVID world?  Everyone has an opinion as to what is best for your child.  Even your child has an opinion. 

The options most parents are faced with are, sending their children back to daycare and school, school by internet at home or at a caregivers, learning pods, or homeschooling.

The tension of making this major decision is causing parents everywhere to panic. 

Arguments fill the room and phone lines with tension.

Our emotional and mental states are in the danger zone.

Your children are bored.

The virus still is waiting to find another victim.

The clock is ticking down.

Your employers are growing impatient for you to either return to work or to be less distracted.

Child abuse is on the rise.

OK – time out!  Take 5.  Breathe …. Breathe deeply.

“Female karate teacher sends nude photos to 11-year-old student and invites him over to her house for sex.”

“Youth pastor accused of sending sexual texts to 15 year old.”

“Camp Director sends inappropriate snapchat messages to campers.”

“Teacher sentenced for texting student thousands of times.”

...

As we gather together to celebrate Christmas and the holidays, we are mindful that for many of you, this is really a busy time of year. Whether you visit shut-ins, serve meals, hold special services, dress up as Santa and give gifts, you are spreading joy. Your generosity and warmth will be felt by many. Thank you for the investment you make in sharing Christmas joy, love, and hope with others.  

At Plan to Protect ®, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! We hope you have a very joyful holiday. We are so grateful for your partnership and business!  

Speaking of which, many of you have partnered with us because of our commitment to help you reduce risk in your organizations and communities. Therefore, we want to remind you that the holidays are not cheerful for everyone. Families struggling to feed themselves today will likely struggle at Christmas. A child fearful of a parent or family member will probably still fear them during the special days of the year. Possibly even more so. Often more alcohol than usual is flowing, which can intensify abuse, anger, and harm.