Originally Sent June 22, 2022
Dear Friends,
Happy summer! We are excited to share the latest Kerengende updates with you below. Thank you for your continued partnership as we help teens and families who have experienced sexual trauma through building a healing community connected to information, support resources, and education.
With gratitude,
Amber
Upcoming Programs
With our incredible partners at Community Lifeline, we have offered two in-person parent workshops so far this year. I am excited to announce that this month we will begin partnering with the East St. Louis School District 189 to offer preventative and responsive workshops for families through its Wraparound Wellness Center. We are honored to work with the District and reach more families in the area.
Join us on July 14th at 5:30 PM CT for…..
Community Workshop: How to Set Boundaries & Communicate with Ease
- Gain access to two kick ass strategies that will empower you to speak up
- Explore in a safe step-by-step way the impact that not setting boundaries is having on your life and relationships
- Identify the actions you can take when someone doesn’t respect your boundaries so you can feel safer and more confident
- Learn practical, easy to use strategies for how to put an end to taking care of everybody else
Girls Self-Esteem Summer Camp
We are excited to partner with Rachael R. Jackson, founder of Project Compassion the week of July 18th at their “Imagine Me” summer camp. The program is designed to empower girls with activities that explore health and wellness, spiritual growth and discovery and now boundaries, consent, and safety. Project Compassion is an amazing organization that has historical roots in the community and we are very excited to collaborate with them!
Program Updates
Webinar on Prevention
n Monday, June 13, the Kerengende Foundation hosted a free webinar with presenter Diane Cranley on “How to assess an organization’s child sexual abuse prevention practices.” Cranley is a child sexual abuse prevention consultant, author, and founder of TAALK nonprofit dedicated to breaking the silence that surrounds child sexual abuse.
The webinar was viewed by nearly 30 attendees, who learned the importance of being proactive change agents when it comes to ensuring organizations have prevention policies.
“When we surround children with knowledgeable and outspoken adults, we ALL play a part in the solution!”
Diane Cranley
We are pleased to share the presentation with you and encourage you to watch it to learn how to best support kids. Access the presentation replay here. (password: kerengende9).
Teen Workshop on Consent and Boundaries
On April 23rd, we offered a teen workshop at Community Lifeline Family Advocacy Center. First Lady Wyvetta Granger of New Life Community Church hosts her Butterfly Girls teen mentorship group bi-monthly and invited Kerengende to deliver the consent and boundaries portion of the 3-day curriculum. We presented on the topics of consent, coercion and boundaries as they relate to friendships, intimate relationships, and sex. Kerengende’s family advocate, Chelsea Mayo, co-facilitated. We were in awe of the strength, grace, and courage of the Butterfly Girls, and left with so much gratitude for the time we shared with them.
Gratitude for our Supporters
We are thrilled to announce a generous grant from the Marillac Mission Fund to support our Human Trafficking and Sexual Abuse Prevention, Education, and Support Programs in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. This is our first grant from Marillac, and the largest foundation grant we have received to date. We are grateful for Marillac’s partnership and look forward to deepening our impact in the community with their partnership.
In addition, we received a grant from Garcia Hamilton & Associates who have supported our efforts since 2019 and we are grateful for the continued partnership. I had the opportunity to visit their offices in Houston and experience their trading floor this past May. It was fantastic to meet with the team, and I thank them for their support!
Speaking Engagements
I am thrilled to be presenting at Children’s Advocacy Center of Mississippi on November 9th to share my personal testimony and perspective as a parent of a sexual abuse survivor.
Please reach out to me if you would like me to present at your organization or amongst your community, or host a prevention workshop. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
With Love & Gratitude,
Amber Clayborne
Founder & Executive Director