On Children's Safety Through the Language of Art

On March 17, our partners in Poland, the Saint Joseph Foundation, held a webinar for teachers titled "SAFEGUARDING – Prevention Through Art." The participants included the co-authors of the course "SAFEGUARDING. Child Safety in the Church Environment," Ivanka Rudakevych and Sister Agnieszka Jarkowska.

The online course is part of an international art project that brings together safeguarding experts from the Catholic Church in six countries (Croatia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary). The project also includes the exhibition-installation "Recognize. Respond," featuring scenes from the course printed on t-shirts. This project was initiated by the Child Dignity Center at UCU. It focuses on how to prevent violence and create a safe space for children within the church.

Ivanka Rudakevych, Head of Projects and Programs at the Child Dignity Center and coordinator of the international project, shared how art became a way to discuss the issue of child abuse. The visual accompaniment to the course, created using quick sketches, was done by artist Ulyana Krekhovets. Later, more than a hundred images from the course were printed on t-shirts. Thus, the course is aimed at clergy, consecrated persons, and laity working with children in the church. The exhibition became a way to engage in dialogue about the responsibility of every adult to prevent child abuse. It was displayed in public galleries and reached approximately 15,000 visitors in three cities: Lviv, Kyiv, and Warsaw. Ivanka Rudakevych explained that the images could be used to discuss safety topics with children, while adults can review the course to learn more about violence prevention.

Sister Agnieszka Jarkowska works in the field of sexual abuse prevention, gives lectures, conducts seminars, and works directly with victims of sexual violence. She talked about the structure of the course, the important topics it covers, such as the child's place in the church, the impact of violence, how to prevent it, how to respond appropriately if it happens, and our responsibility as adults to ensure children's safety.

We are grateful to our partners for hosting the webinar and to the participants who engaged in these important topics.

The course is available for free, and anyone interested can register and take it here: https://www.ucu-edu.online/safeguarding