Time goes by pretty fast these days. I can not believe that June is almost over. Well, kids are out of school and I am adjusting to a new routine with them. We are busy hanging out swimming and barbecuing. This is the last summer before my youngest enters school. Big transition for the whole family!
The conference in Iceland in May was a great success. I am very thankful the wonderful speakers that traveled from the states to help us educate Icelanders about the issue of CSA and prevention. Below is a picture taken at the conference reception hosted by the CPA of Iceland at the end of the conference. The CPA of Iceland was one of the partners of the conference. Here is a link to the conference site, presentations from the conference and links to interviews with the presenters. http://blattafram.is/displayer.asp?page=270&Article_type=Frettir&p=ASP\Pg270.asp
Conference Sponsors: Government CPA (www.bvs.is) , Blátt Áfram (a non-profit, child sexual abuse prevention organization www.blattafram.is), Reykjavík University (www.RU.is), National Association of Intellectual Disabilities (www.throskahjalp.is), Primary Health Care of the Capital Area (www.heilsugaeslan.is), The emergency telephone number organization 112 (www.112.is), SAFT (www.saft.is) and Vodafone (www.vodafone.is)
On the picture from left to right: Karen, Sigrdiur Bjornsdottir, Svava Bjornsdottir Brooks, Justin Berry, Karen Anderson, Shirley Paceley, Dr. Vincent Felitti and Bragi Gudbrandsson (head of CPA in Iceland)
The objective of the conference is to look at the ways the community can prevent the sexual abuse of children. When faced with the discussion of sexual abuse, people are often limited to their emotional responses of outrage, fear, anger and denial. We have a great responsibility as spokespeople to set a good example and discuss it openly. We do that by drawing attention to the many ways we can learn about and prevent the sexual abuse of children.
Dr. Felitti presented the Ace study. Before he arrived to Iceland we had sent out a translation of the ACE study questionnaire to about 200 University students. The outcome or comparison was interesting but not really that surprising. Abuse and trauma takes place in most countries.
ace-scores-in-us-vs-iceland See for yourself. I think the impact for the people attending the conference and hearing this from Dr. Felitti himself was amazing. You can not but sit and wonder after you hear the facts. The effects of trauma are devestating and long lasting. Prevention is crucial and it needs to start with early child hood or parenting education. Here is a copy of the ACE questions. whats_my_ace_score_questionnaire Also check out www.acestudy.org
If you ever have an opportunity to hear Dr. Felitti speak, you should take it. I highly recommend it!
Now I am getting ready for the next conference that I am participating in. Here in San Diego, CA in September. www.ivatcenter.org I will be presenting on my work in Iceland, doing a video session for Darkness to Light, Stewards of Children prevention training and talking about the process of healing and recovery from CSA. The last topic is probably what I like the most. I get to speak from the heart and share my personal experiences about the healing journey. It has been a tough journey but every single step has been worth it. I look forward to share with others what has worked for me. Together we are stronger!
T. Harv Eker: “The only time you’re growing is if you’re uncomfortable.” I used this quote when opening the conference in Iceland and asked the participants to remember that it takes courage to address the issue of CSA but the good news is that if you are feeling uncomfortable you are starting to think out of the box or are getting out of your comfort zone. That is the only way things can change!
