My Voice Matters Parents – Safe Haven Ministries

Prevention

My Voice Matters

Parents and Caregivers

Connecting with Parents

At Safe Haven, we believe violence and human trafficking are completely preventable. We work with schools, youth organizations, parents, mentors (and other community supports) to nurture safe and supportive communities for everyone. The My Voice Matters program engages youth and the trusted adults in their lives, providing resources and tools to help parents and caregivers have important conversations with their child(ren).

My Voice Matters is a youth violence prevention program that teaches youth about healthy relationships, making wise choices, staying safe, and how to get help if needed. The curriculum uses engaging and interactive lessons to address developmentally appropriate topics for youth participants in middle and high school.

We have put together a guide/toolkit for the trusted adults in the lives of My Voice Matters youth participants, and recommend using the included information and discussion questions to keep conversations going, building upon what was discussed in each lesson.

Middle School Topics:

Risk factors for violence
Protective factors against violence
Healthy vs. unhealthy relationships
Red flag relationships and situations
Human trafficking

Healthy boundaries
How to cope with difficult situations
Safety planning
The importance of social norms
How to get help for yourself or a friend

High School Topics:

Healthy relationships
Unhealthy and abusive relationships
Risk factors
Human trafficking
Safety planning

How to change harmful social norms
Bystander intervention strategies
How to get help for yourself or a friend

Conversation Cards

Start the conversation with your teen about their phone usage, social media, and more.

Did you know that Snapchat can share you location?

You can control this using your phone settings or settings within the app. Have a conversation about location sharing with your teen and adjust privacy settings.

Did you know that tech companies can target ads at children and teens?

You can install ad blockers on your phone to limit exposure to these starget ads. Have a conversation with your teen about how ads try to manipulate people and decide what's best for your family.

How do you know if your child is ready for a phone?

Think about their responsibility, the level of trust you have, whether it would increase safety, how they manage their time and emotions, and how it might affect school and their social lives. Have these conversations with your child.

Discuss phone-use guidelines with your teen and decide together.

Be respectful when texting and calling. Know that nothing shared is guaranteed to stay private. Don't respond to numbers or social media accounts of people you don't know in real life. Always ask permission before taking a photo or video, and before sharing anything.

Simple tip: Learn about your child's or teens' interests

Even if they aren't the same as yours. When you show your child that you care and are willing to learn and talk about the things they care about, it communicates how much you care and builds trust. Plus, it gives you something to talk about!

Ask your teen to check-in with you when they are away from home or school.

Modern devices like smartphones can make it easy to track your child's location, but relying on this alone doesn't teach responsibility or communication. If you've gotten into a habit of relying solely on location tracking, experiment with calling or texting more.

Acknowledge mistakes and take responsibility

When asked, "What do you want from your parents?" many teens said on thing they want is accountability when mistakes are made. Acknowledging mistakes and taking responsibility for your decisions shows teens how they can do the same.

Always remember your own self-care.

When you're having conversations or preparing to have conversations with your own child(ren), remember your own self-care. If the conversation starts to feel overwhelming, be honest with your child(ren). Tell them you need to take a break, and you can talk to them later. Reach out to someone you trust to talk about how you feel.

What about when they share a harmful experience?

If your child decides to talk with you about a harmful experience, thank them for trusting you and let them know you believe them, let them know that what was done to them was not their fault and that you're sorry they were harmed, keep them away from the person who harmed them, and seek professional help to support them.

It's okay if you don't know all the answers.

Or if you aren't sure how to start a conversation. Honesty is a great starting place. If a topic feels difficult, let them know you want to talk, and you need time to think before talking. Talk with friends, family members, therapists, and other supports. Take a moment to consult trustworthy online sources. Be sure to follow up with your child as soon as you're ready to talk.

Get together

Discuss problems, share time together, work together to find solutions to problems and mistakes, and get involved in community activities together.

Try to focus on feelings and concerns

When emotions are involved, try to focus on feelings and concerns more than problem-solving. Help your child identify and process their emotions. Talking or journaling can be very helpful. Remember it's okay (and can be healthy) to take a break from talking.