COPE24: Changing Our Parenting Experience

COPE24 is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce child abuse and neglect through education of our youth. We believe that we can affect the occurrences of child abuse, in the future, by reaching today's youth and preparing them for the realities of parenting. There are common denominators relating to this problem i.e. the cycle of abuse, immaturity, and drugs and alcohol use. We are trying to address each of these issues through reality based, emotional videos to be used in classrooms across the nation.

Previously, COPE24 produced and released the COPE24 Parenting Skill Program. This program includes a DVD depicting 10 common, frustrating, repetitive parenting situations. Each video is five-minutes in length and each situation will escalate to abuse, neglect, or dysfunction. Teachers, in classrooms across the country, are using these videos as discussion starters with their students. You can view clips of these videos for quality and content at our websitewww.cope24.com.

COPE24 is now producing a documentary film targeting the topic of survivors of shaken baby or severe head trauma. This type of trauma occurs when a baby is shaken, dropped, hit, kicked, etc. Many have produced videos on this topic. Most focus on the death of the baby. In reality most of these infants will survive. We believe that our youth need to understand that while the babies survive their lives will never be the same due to the trauma of the injuries inflicted. Our youth also need to understand that the babies don't stay babies.

This documentary will include testimonies from families that are left raising a child with these disabilities. We have three families who have committed to this project. The children now range from ages 1 year to 18 years in age. Some of the children are male and some female. We also have professionals who deal with these situations on the front lines who will relate their experiences i.e. detective, investigator with children's division, and various doctors. What we don't have is an African American family willing to share their story.

It is important that our youth know this happens across all racial boundaries. This video presentation will be emotional but also needs to be diverse. The wonderful adults raising the child do not have to be the child's biological parent. This maybe your grandchild, niece or nephew, adopted. Your case doesn't have to have involved a parent actually being the offender. It does, however, have to be an actual documented case of shaken baby or severe head trauma.

If you know of a family meeting this description please ask them to contact us at www.cope24.com or renehowitt@cope24.com.