Five Days of Action: Join Us in Creating a Safer World for Children

Jun 08, 2021

West Suburban YMCA recognizes national Five Days of Action to protect children from sexual abuse

As summer activities and camps begin to ramp up, June is the perfect time to draw attention to the simple ways we can all make the children in our community safer. The West Suburban YMCA invites our community to join us this week as we participate in Five Days of Action.

Leading up to Healthy Kids Day—a national initiative to improve the health and well-being of kids—Five Days of Action focuses on preventing child sexual abuse by sharing simple actions adults and organizations can take to step up and speak out to prevent child sexual abuse.

During Five Days of Action, we emphasize the theme “Know. See. Respond.” When adults know how abuse happens, see the warning signs, and respond quickly to prevent abuse, we foster a culture of child abuse prevention. Individuals who are trained and knowledgeable in abuse prevention are more likely to understand their role as protector, to recognize the signs abuse is occurring, and to report suspicious or inappropriate behavior.

The West Suburban YMCA is providing resources and handouts at our facility (276 Church Street, Newton). Resources include tips for talking to children about boundaries, the importance of familiarizing yourself with policies at youth-serving organizations, how to recognize signs of abuse, and what to do if a child were to disclose abuse. We encourage all adults in the community to learn more about child abuse prevention by visiting www.wsymca.org/child-safety and www.fivedaysofaction.org.

To celebrate the children in our community, join us on Saturday, June 12th for Healthy Kids Day, a free event promoting the development of active and healthy youth. Spend the afternoon at the West Suburban YMCA from 2:30-4:30pm for a variety of family friendly activities and stations such as tie dye, an obstacle course, basketball, soccer, and entertainment from Curious Creatures and magician Steve Charette. A packet containing child abuse prevention information and resources will also be distributed to parents and caregivers. We hope to see you there!

After a challenging year for kids and families, let’s come together to make the community a safer place for children to live, learn, and play.

Jack Fucci
President & CEO
West Suburban YMCA