By Jill D. O'Bryant


Mississippi University for Women


COLUMBUS - Sherry and Sara Beth Honsinger of Mississippi University for Women's Police Department have been certified to teach radKIDS (Resist Aggression Defensively for Kids), making them the only active instructors for this program in the Golden Triangle.


According to the radKIDS website, www.radkids.org, the program "is providing children with hope, options and practical skills to recognize, avoid and, if necessary, escape violence and abuse."


Since its inception in 1998, more than 50,000 children between the ages of 5 and 12 have participated in the 10-hour program with their adult partners.


"Sara Beth and I love children and enjoy working with them," Sherry said. "As much as we like teaching RAD it seemed only natural to combine the two. We really had no idea what we were getting into. Each day of training sold us more and more on this program, and we could see how vital it is to give children these skills."


The mother/daughter duo presented a program last month to the Franklin Academy Parent Teacher Association to introduce the program. They are working with the Franklin PTA to have an after school program after the first of the year.


They also received a request from a local church to teach a RAD and a radKIDS class at the same time, and Sherry spoke to a group in Booneville where there was interest in the programs.


"The place to teach radKIDS is in the schools," said Sherry, who is the secretary/traffic clerk for the MUW Police Department. "We can reach the most children in the shortest amount of time, and so much of the material ties in lessons/unit that are already being taught."


Emphasizing essential decision-making skills and physical resistance options, the curriculum topics include home, school and vehicle safety; out and about safety; realistic defense against abduction; good-bad-uncomfortable touch; stranger tricks and self-realization of personal power.


"Through radKIDS training, children become empowered and learn to replace the fear, confusion and panic of dangerous situations with confidence, personal safety skills and self-esteem," the website says.


The site claims 23 children have successfully used the skills they learned from radKIDS when threatened with abduction and hundreds have spoken up about abusive situations and gotten help.


"By addressing the things in today's society that harm our children and teaching them to protect themselves, radKIDS helps build better people, stronger families and safer communities," Sherry said.


In addition to being trained for radKIDS, seven MUW officers are certified to teach R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense), a self defense education course for women, two are trained to teach Advanced R.A.D. and one officer is trained to teach R.A.D. for Men.

 

Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 12/11/2005 8:00:00 AM, section A , page 8