The Compass program: Best practices and concrete tools to prevent sexual violence against 6-12 year-olds

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Overview

Following on from the Lanterne program, the Compass program is a sexual violence prevention program for children aged 6 to 12 and their families, developed by Marie-Vincent. It is aimed at community and recreation workers, as well as people working in day camps and summer camps (managers, supervisors, coordinators, psychosocial workers, and counselors). The Compass program trainings aim to prevent sexual violence among children and those around them through sexuality education and the promotion of healthy and equal relationships. A free, adapted sexuality education toolkit is provided to all trained environments. Through the various stages of the Compass program's development, the workshop will allow you to discover its foundations, learn more about best practices for preventing sexual violence among 6- to 12-year-olds, and find out more about the tools in the Compass kit.

Speakers

Jessica Martin

Jessica Martin has a bachelor's degree in psychology, a certificate in youth intervention, and a graduate degree in art therapy. Since 2020, she has been part of Marie-Vincent's prevention and training team as a project manager and trainer. Prior to that, Jessica worked as a human relations officer and trainer at the Direction de la Protection de la Jeunesse du Québec for eleven years. Jessica has a strong interest in child protection, child development support and intervention in the context of abuse and polyvictimization.  At Marie-Vincent, her role allows her to work upstream of the crisis, equipping the significant adults around the children to prevent the risks of sexual violence and to react effectively when they are confronted with it.  Her goal: to build a protective community for all children and adolescents. 

Mélanie Murphy

Melanie holds a university certificate in early childhood education, a second in social sciences and, most recently, a certificate in organizational leadership.  Since April 2023, she’s been in charge of prevention for the 0-12 age group at Marie-Vincent. For 23 years, she worked in the early childhood field in a variety of positions and has in-depth knowledge of the needs and overall development of preschool children. She has played an active role in the advancement and development of the network, promoting the importance of universal access to quality educational services and ensuring the recognition and importance of equal opportunities for every child and their family. Children have always been at the heart of her decisions.