ED's Corner: What A Year It Has Been!

Happy December to all of our newsletter subscribers! It is already the last month of the year and with that comes a certain nostalgia as we reflect upon what we've accomplished over the last 12 months. For Prostasia, this means reflecting on what we've done in that time and using it to strategically identify key areas for improvement in 2024.

Since the last newsletter in October, Prostasia Foundation has hosted its first virtual webinar event, Child Protection in an Age of End-to-End Encryption, which took place on November 17th. Originally scheduled for October 13, we proactively chose to reschedule the event due to the last-minute time conflicts with 2 of the planned panelists. Despite the hiccup, we enjoyed a successful event in November. The video is available to watch on Prostasia's Youtube channel and can be accessed here. (Don't mind my child attending, daycare was cancelled that week). Jeremy Malcolm and Aaron Weiss were the panelists and did an excellent job of explaining why we need to think differently about encryption in the fight against child sexual abuse material.

Prostasia also received word on its first grant application this year. It was declined, but we are gearing up with other applications for 2024. 

In other news, I am gearing up to relaunch Prostasia Foundation's podcast/vodcast series, Prostasia Conversations by the end of the year. With a new microphone and headset in hand, I am excited to schedule the first guests and continue Prostasia's educational outreach to new listeners. Stay tuned for the first episode, coming soon.

2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year for us at Prostasia Foundation. Please keep us in mind over the holidays, as we cannot continue to do this work without our dedicated members and supporters. 

Join Prostasia today as we keep up the fight to prevent child sexual abuse. We cannot do it without the generous support of members like you!

We have a new initiative underway at Prostasia Foundation - the Ask Prostasia Campaign!

This new campaign is to support Prostasia's mission to combat and prevent sexual abuse through evidence-based means. As we are all aware, there exists a plethora of misinformation and pseudoscientific content about the causes, treatment, and prevention of sexual abuse. Ask Prostasia is here to respond by filling in the gaps!

Questions can be submitted anytime through our portal here. Questions received and answered will be posted both here in the newsletter and on our website. 

Submit your questions about Prostasia and about sexual abuse prevention and treatment today! We look forward to hearing from you!

This month's question topic asked about Prostasia's work. Specifically, the question asked: "What has Prostasia done to explain to people the difference between sexual abuse and consent?"

This is a great question. Consent is a tricky topic and researchers are beginning to unravel how nuanced obtaining consent can be, especially within sexual situations. To be clear on this, Prostasia agrees with the determination that children under the age of 18 (or the age in a particular jurisdiction) cannot consent to sexual activity. Young children and those who have not yet started puberty cannot provide truly consent to these types of activities ever.

As any parent or caregiver knows, however, child development often includes sexualized play and masturbation (particularly as a part of self-discovery and independence). When these behaviors occur, they should never be interpreted as a sign of sexual awareness or consent on the part of the child. 

What is Prostasia doing to address misinformation here? First, we have an excellent set of blog posts that offer accurate information about sexual education, the process of consent, and how we negotiate consent across the lifespan. We also have podcast/vodcast interviews with experts in sexual education and sexual abuse prevention. 

As Prostasia continues to grow in 2024, we will bring on guests to our relaunched podcast/vodcast series to talk about consent and sexual abuse, about healthy child development, about the necessity of including children's voices in initiatives designed to protect them, plus many more topics. We will do our best to ensure that everyone we reach has the proper tools and information to protect the children in their lives from sexual harm.

Do you have a question for Prostasia Foundation? Submit your question here to be addressed in a future newsletter!

One of our most urgent goals for 2024 is to address some critical staffing needs. Right now Prostasia Foundation  relies on the work of a few dedicated volunteer support staff. I cannot thank our staff enough for the crucial work they do. But we need more. Get involved today!

Among other positions, we are actively recruiting for a General Manager, Activists, Content Creation specialists, and podcast/vodcast editors. If you or anyone you know is looking for a rewarding volunteer position, contact us today! We would be thrilled to have you!

If you cannot volunteer, please consider supporting us by becoming a member or through a financial gift. If you are not yet a member of Prostasia Foundation, join today! 

If you have not donated to us in the past, consider doing so now. Click that Donate Now button below to make your gift to Prostasia Foundation today. Our work cannot continue without the valuable support from our donors. Thank you for your support!