PCAIN Council Courier Jan-Feb 2025

Council Courier January-February 2025

This issue of the Council Courier contains information chosen just for you. As a member of a Chartered Prevention Council, you deserve to receive all of the necessary information to make your job easier. Please take the time to review the articles/resources and let us know if you have any questions or comments.

As Director of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, I enjoyed an opportunity to gaze upon a large group of families partaking in a holiday celebration event and was reminded how unique the composition of families is. No matter how we find ourselves into our “family,” whether through birth, choice, or even circumstance, the benefits of inclusion in a family are profound. There are significant benefits like emotional support, a sense of belonging, unconditional love, a safety net during challenging times, opportunities for personal growth, and a foundation for learning important life skills, all of which contribute to overall well-being and happiness.

As we move into a new year, be intentional to reflect upon your family, how you may embrace or invest in it more fully, and opportunities which may exist to expand and share the love your family has to offer with another who may not be quite so fortunate. Life is tough and sometimes does not offer many choices, but sharing the richness of our love is free, something we all can do, and often brings with it unexpected riches.

Jeff Wittman, MBA, PCAIN Director

Improve your mindset and your health with simple shifts to your thinking and actions.

Winston Churchill said that “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Having a positive attitude can help you make the best of difficult situations. A positive mindset may help you find solutions to problems, or it may help you realize that what first seemed like a problem really isn’t a big deal after all.

And negative thoughts don’t just affect your mood … they also affect your health. Researchers found that people who had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other heart issue within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook—even if they had a family history of heart disease.¹

Luckily, positive thinking is a skill that anyone can learn. Here are five tips to train yourself to think positively.

Notice and reframe negative thoughts. At first, you may not even be aware of your negative thoughts. Spend a day paying attention to your self-talk. You may be surprised by how many of your thoughts are pessimistic.
First, don’t criticize yourself for having these thoughts! Just notice your next negative thought and say to yourself, “Cancel that!” to stop the pattern. Next, reframe the negative thought by turning it around and finding something positive. For instance, instead of being irritated by traffic, spend a moment appreciating your car or the extra time to listen to music or a podcast. Rather than thinking, “I’m terrible at cooking” when a meal doesn’t turn out well, think, “Every day, I get better at cooking.”
Practice gratitude. Take time to acknowledge the good things in your life. Doing so will put you in a more positive frame of mind. A regular practice of saying or writing down three things you’re grateful for each day will help train you to look for things that make you happy. The more specific you can be, the better! Perhaps today you’ll feel grateful for your favorite sweater, your comfortable bed, and your beloved pet. Maybe tomorrow you’ll feel grateful for an inspirational teacher, the friend who’s always there for you, and the delicious dinner you cooked (because every day you get better at cooking!).
Be kind to yourself. Make a quick list of five things you enjoy doing. You might be surprised to realize that you don’t often do the things you enjoy! Keep that list handy and do something that makes you happy as often as you can, whether it’s taking a walk before work, enjoying a bubble bath, or reading a book. The better you feel, the more positive thoughts you’ll notice yourself having.
Do something good for others. It feels even better to do something nice for others than for yourself! Buy a coffee for the person in line behind you at the café, send someone a silly card, or simply text a friend and tell them how much they mean to you. By making someone else feel good, you’ll put positivity into the world and also feel good about yourself.
Laugh! It’s easy to find negativity in this world. It’s OK to tune that out from time to time and find the fun. Spend time with a friend who makes you laugh, watch a funny TV show or movie, or enjoy your favorite comic on stage (live or in a recorded performance). Even remembering something funny that happened in the past can make you laugh today and improve your mood.

Put these tips into practice and notice how much better you feel. Once you’re thinking positively, you’ll realize you can do anything! You can even earn a degree. If you’re working full time, you’ll need to use the power of positive thinking to figure out how to balance your job and education. Earning a degree online is a great option, whether you want to earn a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree, like a master’s or a PhD.

Accredited online colleges go through the same accreditation process as campus-based colleges, and online education allows you to take courses from home or anywhere else you have internet access. Plus, online courses give you the benefit of completing coursework at whatever time works best for you. This enables you to continue working while earning your degree.

¹Source: www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking

PCAIN's Recent Rechartering with

Prevent Child Abuse America

Recently, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana (PCAIN) participated in the re-chartering process with its parent organization, Prevent Child Abuse America. Re-chartering happens once every four years and involves submission of a great deal of documentation, which provides evidence that PCAIN is following a multitude of elements in nine core areas of competence. In addition, the process is capped off by a two-day site visit, where information is reviewed, discussed, and key community stakeholders and staff are interviewed. The process is both comprehensive and designed to ensure that each chartered state chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America meets or exceeds their high standards of operation as a primary child abuse prevention organization.

We are thrilled to report that PCAIN was successful in becoming re-chartered as Indiana’s state chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, exceeding standards in each of the nine core competency areas. Dr. Melissa Merrick, President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America often reminds us that “prevention only happens in partnership.” PCAIN is grateful to our local child abuse prevention councils across Indiana, as well as others with whom we collaborate to prioritize child safety and well-being. Our work is not done but we have the privilege to continue to work together for another four years, to help make Indiana a state where children and families thrive in safe and supportive communities.

On December 11^th, Prevent Child Abuse America unveiled the theme for the upcoming National Child Abuse Prevention Month this coming April, which is “Powered by Hope Strengthened by Prevention.” This announcement happened significantly sooner than in previous years and allows for better communication and planning. Similarly, “Wear Blue Day” has been scheduled for April 4, 2025. Please check the password protected area for chartered councils on the PCAIN website for more information and resources as they become available.

Last, but certainly not least, please plan to join Prevent Child Abuse Indiana at the Indiana statehouse on April 1^st for PCAIN's State kickoff event. We are requesting a strong presence from our local child abuse prevention councils to emphasize the importance of child abuse prevention to our state leaders and engage with your legislators on key local issues. More information will be forthcoming.

PCAIN is in the final phase of planning our 2025 Signature Webinar Series, which will take place during three consecutive Fridays in February. These webinars will occur in a virtual format around lunchtime and will be between 90 – 120 minutes in length. More information will be shared and included on the PCAIN website Events Calendar & Facebook Page as details become solidified.

We view this professional development opportunities to energize and prepare for National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. These events are free to the public, so please share with others to help raise awareness around diverse topics germane to the issue child abuse and neglect prevention.

We are also scheduling most of our Trainings for early next year for Online participation, so please check the Events Calendar Tab on our website (link above) to register and/or share with others.

The schedule of PCAIN Statewide Council webinar meeting, which take place on a quarterly basis, has been released for 2025. Each meeting will take place from Noon – 1:30pm (Eastern Time), on the dates that follow:

March 11, 2025
June 10, 2025
September 9, 2025
December 9, 2025

These meetings are an important communication tool for PCAIN, not to mention a wonderful way to network with other council leaders from across Indiana as we share and learn from each other. These are energizing events that provide a sense of collective impact on the issue of child abuse prevention. Please put placeholders on your calendar to participate on these dates. Registration for each is already on the PCAIN Website Events Calendar but Registration links will be in future Council Couriers also.

The following changes to the chartering process for local child abuse prevention councils have been adopted by PCAIN and will be instituted during the current chartering period between October – December 2024. It should be noted that the following changes regarding PCAIN no longer distributing or including pinwheels with the chartering process, aligns with communication from Prevent Child Abuse America on the subject:

2025 Chartering fee for local councils will be raised to $200.00 annually if chartered between October 1 – December 31, 2024. Recharters received after January 1, 2025, will be $250 for the year. In addition, chartered councils may make other arrangements to purchase pinwheels as needed. PCAIN and PCAA are effectively removing themselves as the "middle-man" in these transactions.

PCAIN will no longer supply pinwheels to our councils, but we will supply you with a link to order any of your physical pinwheel needs from American Solutions for Business (past supplier for PCA America/PCAIN). The order link will be supplied to each Council once that has been shared with us from this company.
- PCAIN will no longer distribute or sell pinwheels after their current limited supply of 18 boxes is sold on a first come first served basis at a cost of $225.00 per box. If you want any of these boxes, please order now at the PCAIN Shop. You cannot use your 25% discount on this order.

Each Council Leader or Main Contact should visit our website, Council Documents Page, to recharter after October 1st but before December 31st. There will be the 2025 Online Chartering Form (preferred option) and also one you can print, fill out and mail in with your Chartering Fee.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jeff Wittman, PCAIN Director.

For those that have already chartered, THANK YOU!!!

Questions, Concerns, Requests - Call us using our Toll-Free Number: 1-800-874-6880 or email Jeff Wittman, PCAIN Director

PCAIN Website Links:

Thank you all for working hard to ensure the children of Indiana have great childhoods! We are fortunate to have a network of professionals and community members who work nonstop to ensure children grow up in households and communities free from abuse and neglect.

Together, prevention is possible.