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If you haven't already, I encourage you to join our online community of child advocates in action as we read through the stories of children whose lives were impacted by abuse and neglect in the book "I Can't Come to School Today. My Mom's in Prison and I Don't Have a Ride." edited by KATHLEEN VAN ANTWERP, ED.D and SENTA GREENE, M.A., CCLS. You can purchase The ebook Experience from the Home Page or Member Page for just $14. The ebook Experience includes a reading guide with questions, insights into The Science of Child and Adolescent Development, suggested action steps, Capacity-Building exercises, and writing prompts to join and comment on the discussion boards. We look forward to thoughtful discussion and stories of compassion put into action by child advocates like you! Everyone is someone in the life of a child.

Children are just tiny people. They have the same value as a grown up. Human beings are born with with this value. We are all uniquely gifted and have a unique purpose for our lives. It is the responsibility of adults within family and community structures to empower and equip children to utilize their unique gifts so that they can fulfill their purpose. Through this process society is enriched by their being.

I have always been a shy person and reluctant to share in any community setting. I felt alone a lot as a child and even into young adulthood. I avoided groups of any kind. Because I experienced acceptance as an adult, I was able to become a small group leader for an elementary group of student grades 4-5 in an extracurricular program. In one of my groups I noticed a girl who had a very soft quiet voice and who never raised her hand but would sometimes contribute if called upon. After a few weeks I was able to talk one-on-one with her and share how I was once very shy. I was able to speak encouraging words to her about the power her ideas had when she shared them in our group, the value of her thoughts as a unique individual, and also introduce the idea that she could be helping others as she shared. She opened up beautifully over the course of the next few weeks and enjoyed sharing and coming to our small group.