One is None

A few years ago my family was featured in a promotional video for Chicken Farmers of Canada. But the life lesson that I learned had nothing to do with chickens.
 
One is none. 
 
It was a statement that the film maker shared with us. Taught by an instructor years ago.
 
They were referring to saving video files.
 
Our family watched in awe as the film makers unloaded equipment and computers, and we had lots of questions about the process.
 
The small film crew had arrived at our farm and spent the day hanging out with us, asking questions, and following us around. 
 
There was a LOT of footage. 
 
So naturally, we were curious… what would happen if something bad happened to the computer? Or the camera? Everything would be lost, right? 
 
After all the work that went into the day, we looked at those devices and recognized the value of what was stored on them.
 
That’s when the film maker told us the lesson they had been taught. One copy is as good as no copies. 
 
One is none.
 
For me, it was one of those moments where the truth lands with gravity. This was good advice.
 
In our family, we repeat this mantra a lot.
 
There are plenty of situations where ‘one is none’ is a good reminder to make a back up, or have a back up available.
 
Before the holiday break, I wrote about being an ally for children who are often left unsupervised during group gatherings.
 
Despite the good intentions I had, I absolutely failed to apply the knowledge.
 
For all of the advocacy work that do, I managed to miss out on some critical conversations that occurred at a social gathering I attended.
 
I heard about it after the fact.
 
But I wasn’t there to interrupt, redirect, or protect the kids from hurtful words that were tossed around thoughtlessly by some of the older youth.
 
I was saddened to hear what had transpired. I was disappointed.
 
And then I remembered, one is none.
 
One ally at a large gathering full of adults who aren’t paying attention to the risks, is not much better than having no ally present.
 
On my own, I did not prevent harmful words from being shared. I was not there to set a boundary.
 
I can’t take all the blame. It was a large gathering, and I can’t be everywhere all at once.
 
The truth is children need more allies. 
 
One is none, but many can make a HUGE difference. 
 
It’s 2023 and kids need more allies and advocates. This is our mission for the year. Our goal is to connect with 20 new (to us) youth-serving organizations to deliver our prevention training.
 
We see it over and over again. Adults who have taken the training become allies who protect children. And there is a BIG difference between adults who want kids to be safe, and adults who take action to keep kids safe. Wanting is not the same as doing.
 
Protecting children is a bold and courageous act of social disobedience. Protecting children goes against the norms. It sounds backwards, but it is a fact. 
 
Setting boundaries, supervising youth, and recognizing the risk of child sexual abuse is not the standard.
 
Our goal is to change that. 
 
Trained adults set new boundaries. Trained adults become active bystanders who intervene. Trained adults protect children.
 
Our best chance to train adults is to find organizations that are already AMAZING. We are looking to connect with organizations that have a strong TEAM, and great VALUES.
 
Do you know an organization that is amazing, has great staff, and strong values? We’d like to know them as well. 

The more adults we train, the less risk there is for children. It’s that simple.
 
When we work together, we can fill our community with trained adults. Because one trained adult just isn’t good enough.

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