The Summit Area YMCA is proud to participate in Five Days of Action®, taking place April 21-25, 2025. This weeklong campaign is dedicated to raising awareness and empowering adults to take action in protecting children from sexual abuse.
Throughout the week, the Summit Area YMCA will be spreading awareness to engage the community and provide valuable resources for prevention and awareness.
With summer right around the corner—a time when children come together for camps, sports, and activities—it’s more important than ever to focus on the simple steps we can all take to ensure the safety of children in our community.
“The children of our community have the right to a happy and safe childhood, and it’s our responsibility as adults and organizations to stand up to protect that right,” said Tiffany Escott, Director of Mission Advancement for the Summit Area YMCA. “By joining the Five Days of Action campaign, we hope to inspire others to create safe spaces and take a stand against child sexual abuse.”
Know. See. Respond.
The Know. See. Respond. campaign returns this year with valuable resources from Praesidium, Saprea, and Lauren’s Kids to help families, caregivers, and community members protect children from abuse.
KNOW: Ask the Right Questions
Before enrolling children in camps, sports, or activities, do you KNOW what questions to ask about abuse prevention? As parents, caregivers, and trusted adults, we play a vital role in protecting children.
📌 Learn the key questions to ask from Praesidium, the YMCA’s partner in child abuse prevention: praesidiuminc.com/6-key-questions-a-parent-should-ask-of-an-organization.
SEE: Recognize Grooming Behaviors
Child predators often use subtle, methodical behaviors to groom children for abuse. By learning to SEE the warning signs, we can strengthen our intuition and protect children from harm.
📌 Discover the 6 grooming behaviors every parent or caregiver should recognize, from Saprea: saprea.org/blog/6-perpetrator-grooming-behaviors.
RESPOND: Take Action
Prevention starts with RESPONDing—ensuring that children and teens feel heard, supported, and protected. The Trusted Triangle (for younger children) and the Safety NETwork (for older youth) are tools from Lauren’s Kids that help families teach personal and digital safety.
📌 Explore these family safety resources: Lauren’s Kids Safer, Smarter Families Toolkit.
At the Summit Area YMCA, we are committed to ensuring the well-being of every child. For more information about Five Days of Action and how you can get involved, visit www.fivedaysofaction.org.
By taking part in this initiative and implementing abuse prevention practices year-round, the Summit Area YMCA reaffirms its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of every child in our community.
About the Summit Area YMCA
In 1886, we were founded as the Young Men’s Christian Association, but today, we are The Y. An association that values and is made stronger by its diverse people. We stand for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility — For a better us. We are committed to creating equal opportunity for all regardless of gender, age, disability, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which our four core values — responsibility, honesty, caring, and respect — are integral to everyday operations.
Each year, as one of the area’s leading 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, the Summit Area YMCA serves more than 17,000 individuals with our free and fee-based programs and services in an area spanning the New Jersey communities of Berkeley Heights, Gillette, Millburn, New Providence, Short Hills, Springfield, Stirling, and Summit. Our history is rooted in working side-by-side with our neighbors to ensure everyone can learn, grow, and thrive. Through the generosity of our members, donors, and partners, we are able to offer financial assistance for our programs and services to those in need.
