After the tragedy of the Danielle van Dam incident, many parentsare feeling more apprehensive about the safety of their children.Danielle was abducted from her home in Sabre Springs and her body wasfound about four weeks after her disappearance.
There is a program that has become more popular because of the vanDam case. The Resist Aggression Defensively, or RAD for kids, programeducates children on personal safety and gives them a sense ofempowerment.
“The mission of the program is to provide children with the toolsand skills to recognize, avoid and, when necessary, to escape theviolence of abduction, bullying or assault,” Linda Kenan, a RADinstructor, said of the program that began in 1998.
Each year there are 3,500 to 4,000 abductions of children bynon-family members that are familiar with the child, and 350 to 400abductions of children by total strangers, according to FingerprintAmerica.
Many more parents want their children to take the class, becauseof the Danielle van Dam case, Kenan said. RAD for kids is not onlyabout abduction safety.
The majority of the program encompasses risk reduction, Kenansaid. Instructors teach children ages 5 to 10 years old about schoolsafety, home safety, fire and electrical safety, how to dial 911,bike safety, what an emergency is and how to tell the differencebetween good and bad strangers.
According to the Walnut Creek Bicycle Advisory Committee, 49percent of all bicyclist deaths occur to children under 16. Also, 1in 7 children suffer head injuries in bike-related accidents.
There are two age groups, the 5- to 7-year-olds and the 8- to10-year-olds, she said. “We try and help children become aware ofwhat may be a potentially hazardous situation, and how to avoid orget away from it, so they won’t have to use any of the physicaltechniques that we teach them,” she said.
“I think it’s a good program for kids to be involved in, it’s fun,they have a good time doing it and they also learn a lot,” KellyCani, whose daughter was in the program, said.
Cani said his daughter Erin, 6, just finished the 5 to 7 program.
“It reinforces who to call in an emergency, helped her become moreaware of her surroundings and of who is a stranger and who isn’t,” hesaid.
The last day of class, there is a simulation exercise, Kenan said.
“We walk the children through different scenarios so they can usetechniques (they) learned. It’s very empowering and the children loveit,” she said.
The children receive a certificate with their picture on it andthey are finger printed.
It’s a highly interactive course with the parents, children andinstructors all working together, Kenan said.
Cani said he likes that parents interact with the kids. It madehis daughter feel more comfortable and made it easier for her tounderstand and learn, he said.
At San Diego State there are six RAD kids instructors, Kenan said.The instructors have a maximum of 25 kids, but try to limit it to 10to15 per class.
Cani said he felt the instructors are very knowledgeable, theyteach well to kids, and they have the skills needed to allow childrento learn.
A 5 to 7 program just finished, and in May an 8 to 10 program willbe held at the University of California San Diego. In June a 5 to 7program will be held on campus.
The 5 to 7 course requires a minimum of eight hours ofinstruction, and the 8 to 10 course requires a minimum of nine hoursof instruction. Each course costs $10.
