How Your Youth-Serving Organization Can Be An Effective Agent of Prevention: Insights from Prevention Global
Please note: This webinar is not eligible for continuing education (CE) credit due to its informal, conversational format. Participants who attend the full live session will, however, receive a Certificate of Attendance.
This webinar is for professionals in youth-serving settings, such as schools, community programs, and other child- and youth-focused organizations. It is especially relevant for leaders and decision-makers responsible for policy, culture, and safeguarding practices within an organization, as well as practitioners and child protection staff who implement prevention strategies.
Child abuse is preventable, and youth-serving organizations are essential allies in that prevention. Every year, these organizations engage tens of millions of children worldwide, creating opportunities to promote safety and wellbeing. In this webinar, Drs. Letourneau and Assini-Meytin, together with Mr. Ó Dochartaigh, discuss the practical applications of their work with Prevention Global and share a simple but vital message: prevention isn’t an option; it’s a necessity and a shared responsibility.
Prevention Global is an international hub for information on effective prevention. It develops knowledge products, compiles research, and creates other tools that inform policy, practice, and funding decisions. Its mission is to support courageous action and help drive lasting impact for our children in every setting: where they live, learn, and grow.
SERVING YOUTH, a new knowledge product from Prevention Global, examines how leadership and organizational commitment can directly influence child safeguarding. Drawing on recent U.S. research across the six largest youth-serving organizations, the report identifies measurable reductions in sexual harm of more than 20 percent among organizations with strong prevention leadership. At the same time, the findings call attention to a rising risk in sexual misconduct within K–12 school settings, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated, cross-sector prevention efforts.
This webinar discussion invites leaders and practitioners to explore how these findings can help build safer environments, establish prevention as an organizational value, and work collectively to protect children from sexual abuse.
Who's Presenting
Elizabeth Letourneau, PhD
Dr. Letourneau is Professor and Director of MOORE, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For 36 years she has led work on child sexual abuse prevention, practice, and policy that has attracted $35 million in funding and resulted in more than 100 scientific publications. She advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Commission, and other government, corporate, and NGO entities. Her research has been cited in U.S. state supreme court cases, by state, national, and international legislatures and has appeared in various media outlets including TEDMED.
Luciana Assini-Meytin, PhD
Dr. Assini-Meytin is Deputy Director of MOORE, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She leads a research program to characterize, evaluate, and improve prevention strategies within youth-serving organizations. She has spearheaded the development of a national survey to assess organizational efforts to prevent child sexual abuse victimization and boundary-violating behaviors – one of the first comprehensive evaluations of abuse by adults in organizational settings. Currently, she is conducting a prevalence survey to assess child sexual abuse and boundary-violating behaviors among educators in K-12 schools across the US.
Aengus Ó Dochartaigh
Aengus Ó Dochartaigh is Outreach Director at MOORE, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He leads international engagement and partnerships to ensure that emerging evidence of effective prevention informs and supports policy, practice and funding. Aengus was previously Director of Strategy and Operations at Human Dignity Foundation, delivering major investments to tackle child sexual abuse. Prior to this focus on children’s rights, Aengus worked for consultancies and NGOs in the international development sector, living in Palestine and Fiji and working extensively across west, east, and southern Africa.
Nikki Roe Cropp (she/her)
Nikki Roe Cropp (she/her) has over two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, program delivery and operations, organizational strategy, management, and child safety across local and national youth development and social service organizations. Currently, Nikki serves at the Vice President of Youth Safety & Well-being for Camp Fire National Headquarters. As Camp Fire’s designated youth protection officer, Nikki provides content, tools, resources, consultation, and education on youth safety and mental well-being for the federated network. Nikki’s work aims to ensure Camp Fire youth feel affirmed, safe, and supported so they can engage fully in Camp Fire programs.