Charleston Non-Profit Darkness to Light Announces Second Annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference

DARKNESS TO LIGHT ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION CONFERENCE

Conference, presented by the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, brings together sexual abuse prevention leaders from across the country around the common goal of making communities safer for children

Memphis, TN – Darkness to Light has officially announced the schedule of sessions and speakers for the upcoming Ignite 2018 National Prevention Conference, presented by the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. The event, scheduled for October 9^th and 10^th, 2018, in Memphis, TN, will also feature pre-conference day activities on October 8^th. Ignite 2018 will bring together child advocates from all over the world. Early registrants receive a discounted rate by registering before August 31st.

The conference equips attendees with resources and tools to strengthen and organize their prevention initiatives, no matter the size and scope. Advanced training and thought-provoking, interactive sessions led by some of the most respected experts in child sexual abuse prevention will help individuals and organizations bring fresh ideas to their communities.

This year’s conference will welcome Dr. Alice Forrester and Laura Porter as keynote speakers. Forrester and Porter are featured in the film Resilience, an official selection at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Resilience chronicles the promising beginnings of a national movement to prevent childhood trauma, treat toxic stress, and greatly improve the health of future generations.

Dr. Forrester is the CEO at The Clifford Beers Clinic and provides mental health services for children by including the entire family in their programs. Porter is co-founder of ACE Interface, LLC. She develops and disseminates educational products and empowerment strategies that help leaders throughout the nation to dramatically improve the health and well-being of communities.

“Last year, nearly 200 attendees from 32 states and four countries came together for Ignite. This year is going to be bigger and better,” said Katelyn Brewer, President and CEO of Darkness to Light. “With the expertise of our keynotes, panelists, and session speakers, attendees will be inspired and encouraged, bringing that passion back to their community efforts to better protect children.”

“We are extremely honored and proud to be the presenting sponsor of Darkness to Light’s Ignite 2018 Prevention Conference,” said Lynn Layton, President and CEO of the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. “Our support of Ignite reflects our commitment to collaborating with Darkness to Light and complementing their focus on adult prevention education. Combined with our focus on child prevention education, we will create a 360° circle of prevention and together we will better protect children.”

Conference panelists and speakers include representatives from Microsoft, the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, the Clifford Beers Clinic, ACE Interface, Childhood Fractured, SCARS, The Medical University of South Carolina, and Darkness to Light.

Sessions include:

• Children in a Digital Age
• Leveraging Collective Impact & the Adverse Childhood Experience Research
• Cultivating a Culture of Safety in Youth-Serving Organizations
• Advocacy & Policy Development – A guide to creating lasting social change
• Time to Talk: Teens, Sex, and the Law
• Beyond “Do No Harm”
• Building an Initiative in the Hispanic Community Panel
• Understanding the research and best practices: Using adult-focused & child-focused prevention programs

Other conference sponsors include the HAND Foundation and the Redwoods Group.

For more information and to register for the conference, please visit www.D2L.org/Ignite2018.

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Media Contact

Gwen Bouchie
843.513.1623
gbouchie@D2L.org

About Darkness to Light

Darkness to Light is a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower adults to prevent child sexual abuse through awareness, education, and stigma reduction. Darkness to Light’s flagship program, Stewards of Children®, is an evidence-informed, award-winning training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. More than 1.6 million adults have been trained using Darkness to Light trainings. For more information, visit www.D2L.org.

About the Monique Burr Foundation for Children

The Monique Burr Foundation for Children, Inc. (MBF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 by Edward E. Burr in honor of his late wife, Monique Burr, a devoted child advocate. MBF Prevention Education Programs, including MBF Child Safety Matter® for elementary schools and MBF Teen Safety Matters® for middle schools, are research-based, primary prevention programs that educate and empower students and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, digital dangers, and all types of child abuse and exploitation.

For more information about the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, call (904) 642-0210, visit www.mbfpreventioneducation.org or follow the Foundation on Facebook @MBFChildSafety and Instagram @MBFChildSafety.