1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,033 Hello, I'm Victoria Grenz, 2 00:00:04,033 --> 00:00:08,766 and today I'm going to talk to you about empowering young minds. 3 00:00:08,766 --> 00:00:10,232 I'm a mom of two girls, 4 00:00:10,233 --> 00:00:12,733 and I have thought about teaching them about body safety 5 00:00:12,733 --> 00:00:15,033 without feeling uncomfortable myself, 6 00:00:15,033 --> 00:00:17,633 and hence making them feel uncomfortable. 7 00:00:17,633 --> 00:00:21,966 So, I did research on sexual abuse awareness and body safety, 8 00:00:21,966 --> 00:00:29,232 and how might I teach children about body safety through a book. 9 00:00:29,233 --> 00:00:31,166 My innovative approach, 10 00:00:31,166 --> 00:00:34,866 I considered my stakeholders, 11 00:00:34,866 --> 00:00:38,532 who are my children between the ages of three to five, 12 00:00:38,533 --> 00:00:40,966 and the parents of the children. 13 00:00:40,966 --> 00:00:42,966 For the children, 14 00:00:42,966 --> 00:00:45,866 I took into consideration their feelings on how learning about body safety 15 00:00:45,866 --> 00:00:49,999 may make them feel scared, sad, or even confused. 16 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:54,000 And for the parents, I took into consideration the reluctance 17 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:59,033 of teaching their children about body safety or sexual abuse awareness 18 00:00:59,033 --> 00:01:03,399 because they feel like it may never happen to their kids, 19 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,033 or their kids are just too young to learn about that. 20 00:01:07,033 --> 00:01:09,199 So, over the course of six weeks, 21 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,666 I was inspired by my research to write a children's book 22 00:01:13,666 --> 00:01:22,166 that is simple, relatable, and fun to read. 23 00:01:22,166 --> 00:01:25,866 For the emotional intelligence part of my project, 24 00:01:25,866 --> 00:01:30,299 I kept in mind how delicate–for self and others– 25 00:01:30,300 --> 00:01:34,033 how delicate the subject may be for myself and others, 26 00:01:34,033 --> 00:01:37,666 but also how important it is to provide kids with the tool 27 00:01:37,666 --> 00:01:41,832 to help them learn how to be more aware of their bodies, 28 00:01:41,833 --> 00:01:44,566 and speak up for themselves. 29 00:01:44,566 --> 00:01:50,599 And for myself, I didn't have experience writing a book, 30 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,766 so just not having the experience of writing the book. 31 00:01:54,766 --> 00:01:59,766 And to help with that with that lack of experience, 32 00:01:59,766 --> 00:02:05,766 I read a lot of short story books with my toddler for inspiration. 33 00:02:05,766 --> 00:02:08,666 And for my audience, I searched for other books 34 00:02:08,666 --> 00:02:11,399 that are similar to my topic. 35 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,933 I read through some of the reviews of those books 36 00:02:13,933 --> 00:02:20,266 to learn more about the current parents’ thoughts on those books. 37 00:02:20,266 --> 00:02:22,166 And for value to others, 38 00:02:22,166 --> 00:02:26,399 I considered how this could be valuable to caregivers, 39 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:31,566 like providing them with a tool to teach kids about body safety, 40 00:02:31,566 --> 00:02:39,566 and helping give children validation for what they may be feeling or experiencing. 41 00:02:39,566 --> 00:02:47,199 My creative thinking process was interesting 42 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,966 because I found myself struggling creatively. 43 00:02:49,966 --> 00:02:53,066 So, I reached out to my instructor for help, 44 00:02:53,066 --> 00:02:56,232 and she suggested that I could write a children's book. 45 00:02:56,233 --> 00:02:58,133 And I said, “OK. 46 00:02:58,133 --> 00:03:00,366 “It's going to force me to step out of my comfort zone. 47 00:03:00,366 --> 00:03:01,866 “Let's do this.” 48 00:03:01,866 --> 00:03:09,332 My approach is unique because it was inspired by a moment I had with my toddler. 49 00:03:09,333 --> 00:03:18,333 In the moment, I figured out 50 00:03:18,333 --> 00:03:22,333 that I needed to write a story from a child's point of view. 51 00:03:22,333 --> 00:03:25,866 I kind of patted her little butt, 52 00:03:25,866 --> 00:03:27,566 and she turned around and said, 53 00:03:27,566 --> 00:03:32,499 “Hey, don't touch my butt.” 54 00:03:32,500 --> 00:03:36,433 So, I wrote this children's book 55 00:03:36,433 --> 00:03:42,066 called Bernadette: Brave as a Bear, written by me. 56 00:03:42,066 --> 00:03:47,666 And this book is dedicated to all the parents and children, 57 00:03:47,666 --> 00:03:50,399 to inspire education on body safety, 58 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:54,866 and to speak when they feel unsafe. 59 00:03:54,866 --> 00:03:57,432 Bernadette is a happy and brave little girl. 60 00:03:57,433 --> 00:04:00,099 She loves to dance. 61 00:04:00,100 --> 00:04:02,000 She loves to play outside. 62 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,533 Bernadette has an older sister named Valentina. 63 00:04:04,533 --> 00:04:07,433 She loves to play hide-and-seek with her. 64 00:04:07,433 --> 00:04:10,433 Bernadette lives with her dad, mom, and older sister. 65 00:04:10,433 --> 00:04:14,999 She loves to give them hugs because it makes her feel happy. 66 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:16,300 On a warm and sunny day, 67 00:04:16,300 --> 00:04:23,333 Bernadette's mom took her on a playdate with her friends, Jacob and Lisa. 68 00:04:23,333 --> 00:04:27,533 Bernadette, Jacob, and Lisa first played hide-and-seek. 69 00:04:27,533 --> 00:04:28,766 They played outside. 70 00:04:28,766 --> 00:04:31,932 While they played outside, Jacob ran up behind Bernadette and Lisa, 71 00:04:31,933 --> 00:04:34,033 and he touched their butts. 72 00:04:34,033 --> 00:04:37,599 That made Bernadette and Lisa feel sad and hurt. 73 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:39,766 Bernadette quickly turned around and said, 74 00:04:39,766 --> 00:04:44,199 “Hey, don't touch my butt, I don't like that.” 75 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,600 She then ran inside to tell her mom what happened. 76 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,033 Bernadette’s mom hugged her and said, 77 00:04:50,033 --> 00:04:54,099 “You did the right thing. You are brave as a bear.” 78 00:04:54,100 --> 00:04:55,766 The moms then said to the kids, 79 00:04:55,766 --> 00:04:59,232 “If a stranger, friend, or anyone you know touches your butt, 80 00:04:59,233 --> 00:05:03,533 “or any part of your body that makes you feel sad, hurt, 81 00:05:03,533 --> 00:05:06,099 “or a sick feeling in your tummy, 82 00:05:06,100 --> 00:05:11,166 “put your hand up and say ‘No,’ or ‘Stop.’ 83 00:05:11,166 --> 00:05:13,932 “Then find your parent or adult that you trust, 84 00:05:13,933 --> 00:05:15,933 “and tell them what happened.” 85 00:05:15,933 --> 00:05:18,899 Later that day, Bernadette hugged her mom and said, 86 00:05:18,900 --> 00:05:21,433 “Thank you for making me feel brave as a bear. 87 00:05:21,433 --> 00:05:27,099 “I love you, Mommy.” 88 00:05:27,100 --> 00:05:31,033 So, that was my book. 89 00:05:31,033 --> 00:05:33,199 So, the benefits and impacts. 90 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:40,266 The results were better than I expected them to be. 91 00:05:40,266 --> 00:05:46,966 The feedback I got back from the stakeholders, 92 00:05:46,966 --> 00:05:52,132 the benefit that it provided them with, 93 00:05:52,133 --> 00:05:55,999 the opportunity to discuss body safety with them. 94 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,633 So, they said it did give them a bonding and teaching moment, 95 00:05:59,633 --> 00:06:04,266 and they were able to discuss the body safety further, 96 00:06:04,266 --> 00:06:07,032 and what to do in these types of situations, 97 00:06:07,033 --> 00:06:09,666 like how I wrote in my book. 98 00:06:09,666 --> 00:06:14,499 And the impact that my book had was that the parents actually went out 99 00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:20,933 and they shared the book with other parents that they are friends with, 100 00:06:20,933 --> 00:06:22,666 so that they could share it with their book, 101 00:06:22,666 --> 00:06:28,532 because they just thought it was just a cute, witty story, 102 00:06:28,533 --> 00:06:31,566 and they loved it. 103 00:06:31,566 --> 00:06:34,232 Here's a quote that I got from one of the parents: 104 00:06:34,233 --> 00:06:36,133 “I feel proud reading this book. 105 00:06:36,133 --> 00:06:38,999 “We're giving our children a chance to save themselves. 106 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:41,566 “This book is an opportunity to discuss safety 107 00:06:41,566 --> 00:06:47,066 “and give the child a sense of ownership over themselves.” 108 00:06:47,066 --> 00:06:48,466 Thanks for listening. 109 00:06:48,466 --> 00:06:51,532 In conclusion, throughout this process, 110 00:06:51,533 --> 00:06:53,699 I acquired some new creative thinking skills, 111 00:06:53,700 --> 00:06:55,533 such as mind mapping, 112 00:06:55,533 --> 00:07:00,366 and rephrasing the word “creative” to “curious” to help with the creativity, 113 00:07:00,366 --> 00:07:05,066 as well as also reaching out for help when I needed it. 114 00:07:05,066 --> 00:07:09,232 And then I also learned how to write a children's book. 115 00:07:09,233 --> 00:07:11,533 And through writing one, 116 00:07:11,533 --> 00:07:13,299 and stepping out of that comfort zone, 117 00:07:13,300 --> 00:07:15,066 I feel more courageous now. 118 00:07:15,066 --> 00:07:19,399 And I really enjoyed working on this project. 119 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,066 It’s something that I can now keep, 120 00:07:22,066 --> 00:07:24,899 and I can share personally, 121 00:07:24,900 --> 00:07:28,733 and with my community and other family members. 122 00:07:28,733 --> 00:07:33,799 And here are the resources to my project. 123 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:34,866 Thanks again.