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WHO:  WHAT IS IT?

 

The acronym WHO stands for three words:  We Help Ourselves.  WHO is an educational program helping children and teenagers learn how to avoid all kinds of victimization—child abuse and neglect, violent assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, peer pressure, and emotional abuse.

 

Sometimes, children find they cannot avoid threatening situations, or they have already experienced victimization.  The WHO Program teaches children strategies to protect themselves from revictimization and identifies resources to contact for assistance if they have already been harmed.

 

WHO was conceived, developed, and copyrighted by the Mental Health Association of Dallas County in 1981 with funding provided by the Texas Department of Human Resources.

 

 

WHY DO WE NEED IT?

 

Child maltreatment is costly to our society---both in terms of money and human potential.  According to Prevent Child Abuse America:

 

  • Children who are victims of abuse and neglect have a 28% increased likelihood of becoming involved with adult criminal behavior and a 30% likelihood of becoming involved in violent crime.

 

  • As many as two-thirds of people in drug treatment programs reported being abused as children.

 

  • A child who is abused or neglected is 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile than other children.

 

  • An estimated one-third of abused and neglected children will eventually victimize their own children.

 

The cycle of abuse will continue from generation to generation until abusers get help and children are taught they have the right to protect themselves.  The WHO Program is a primary prevention tool.  It seeks to prevent the likelihood of child victimization and ensuing mental health problems.

 

 

WHAT IS WHO’S MESSAGE?

 

WHO helps children and teens learn three ways in which We Help Ourselves:

 

1       KNOW

Have a plan for personal safety.

Learning and practicing personal safety rules will help avoid risk in the first place.

 

2       DO

Have a plan for assertive, positive action.

Think ahead about what to expect, what to say and do, where to go if confronted by a scary, dangerous or uncomfortable situation.

 

3       TELL

Ask for help.

Identify trusted adults—parents, teachers, counselors, ministers, nurses, relatives—children can talk to and count on for help.

 

 

HOW DOES WHO HELP CHILDREN LEARN ANTI-VICTIMIZATION SKILLS?

 

Age-appropriate curricula has been developed for different age groups.  Family Outreach currently presents the WHO program to 1st and 4th graders in local schools that have requested the program.

 

WHO provides important information in a non-threatening manner.

 

WHO presentations allow learning through:

  • The use of videotapes

  • Discussion led by trained facilitators

  • First grade presentations include stuffed animal puppets

  • Situational problem-solving

  • Building on student’s own knowledge

  • Use of follow-up activities

 

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

 

If you care about protecting children from victimization and have daytime hours available, the WHO Program needs you!  WHO volunteers are warm and caring people who enjoy interacting with children and leading them in discussions.

 

Volunteers with the WHO Program enjoy:

 

The Rewards of:

1)      Involvement in the primary prevention of child abuse

2)      Enhanced self-esteem

3)      Playing an active role in helping to break the cycle of abuse

 

Professional Training in:

1)      Human development and how it affects peoples’ behavior

2)      Group discussion techniques

3)      Positive parenting and discipline techniques

4)      The causes and effects of child abuse

5)      Communication Skills