Bar Fights Sarah Klein

“Relationship skills are not innate. We go where the young people are, give them the space to talk about their relationships, and help them build the skills to ensure those relationships are healthy,” DayOne Executive Director Anne Patterson tells Sarah. On today’s show, Anne and DayOne Board Chair Laura Dukess break down those relationship skills and the education, supportive services, legal advocacy, and leadership development that DayOne provides NYC youth age 24 and under who are struggling with gender-based violence.  Learn more at https://dayoneny.org/  
DayOne’s annual Voices Against Violence Gala will be held this June 13th at Guastavino’s in New York City. https://dayoneny.org/events/voices-against-violence/

“Love should always be safe” is the tagline for Day One, a New York City nonprofit working to end gender-based violence and the shame and trauma that lurk in its shadow by nipping it in the bud.  Sarah sits down with Executive Director Anne Patterson and Chairman of the Board Laura Dukess to discuss their organization’s efforts to end abuse by teaching elementary, middle school, and high school students the skills needed to build healthy relationships, as well as the myriad supportive services they offer to anyone under the age of 24 who has experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
Day One is a non-profit offering services to NYC youth age 24 and under. Our mission is to partner with youth to end dating abuse and domestic violence through community education, supportive services, legal advocacy, and leadership development. Learn more at https://dayoneny.org/
Support our cause by attending or sponsoring our annual  DayOne Voices Against Violence Gala this June 13th at Guastavino’s in New York City. https://dayoneny.org/events/voices-against-violence/

One woman’s story, and one woman’s moxie has protected countless children, and Erin Merryn is not done yet.
Six year old Erin was too young to know what sexual abuse was, much less how to talk about it, so she remained silent as her abuse went on for seven years. In part 2 of her conversation with Sarah, Erin explains why she created Erin’s Law, and how she has muscled through resistance from parents, school officials, and legislators to protect children like her younger self by requiring all public schools in each state to implement a prevention-orients sexual abuse program. Listen in to hear just some of the many examples of Erin’s Law’s staggering effect- New York killed her bill for eight straight years. When she finally got it passed, nine young boys came forward separately on the day the program was first offered at their school in Albany, NY. Their stories were very similar. Why? Because their own principal had been molesting them for years.
Erin’s Law has been passed in 38 states. The other 12 are in her sights.
About Erin Merryn
Erin Merryn is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and child abuse advocate and activist and the founder and President of Erin’s Law, a national non-profit dedicated to mandating prevention-oriented child sexual abuse education in public schools in all 50 states.  Learn more at https://www.erinslaw.org. 

Today’s Bar Fights guest, Erin Merryn, is a testament to the power of a story to move mountains. It took many tumultuous years for Erin to find her voice after having been repeatedly abused for six years of her childhood. Once she found it, though, there’s been no stopping her from using her voice as a compelling force for good. Since 2013, Erin has steadfastly shared her story to press every state to mandate prevention-oriented child sexual abuse education in schools, and she is making real headway. Erin’s Law is currently enacted in 38 states, and she is actively working on the other 12. Listen in to hear Erin’s story in part 1 of her interview with Sarah, and judge for yourself just how powerful a voice can be.
Erin Merryn is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and child abuse advocate and activist and the founder and President of Erin’s Law, a national non-profit dedicated to mandating prevention-oriented child sexual abuse education in public schools in all 50 states.  Learn more at https://www.erinslaw.org/.  

Today, Sarah brings on Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes, for a robust conversation about keeping our children safe in digital spaces. Tune in to learn about the 5 layers of digital protection (Spoiler alert- the second layer involves your router), which are the riskiest social media apps and why, and the urgent responsibility we have to hold the entities who profit from the digital space accountable for our children’s safety within that space.  “We are responsible for our children’s future wellness, not their current happiness.” Chris McKenna
Check out the resources page at https://protectyoungeyes.com/ to learn more about digital safety measures you can take.

Sarah and trauma psychotherapist and relationship expert Dr. Janie Lacy delve into the self-sabotaging patterns programmed into our subconscious by childhood trauma, how to recognize those patterns, unravel their roots, and do the work to reprogram them. Key take-aways from their inspiring conversation 1) Although our programming is not our fault, our healing is our responsibility. 2) Mutual support and unity are empowering; community is healing. Build one if you don’t have one already.
 
Dr. Janie Lacy is an internationally recognized licensed psychotherapist and relationship expert, TLC TV Show co-star, accomplished speaker, and champion for women globally. Learn more at https://www.janielacy.com/