“Thank you for coming!”

Written by Melissa Cruz, Prevention Educator

Something I just love hearing from students as I finish a teaching series or a workshop is, “Thank you for coming!”

I keep little notes from the students as inspiration. As I end my teaching series with a group of students, I ask them to reflect and write something that stood out to them that they’ll remember. Notes from the last school season just encouraged me. One note from a young man stated, “I learned to know my worth,” and he ended the note with, “Thank you for being here!”

Another note was from a young girl who had a friend that sat near her in class. She wrote, “My friend recently went through a breakup, and she said that the things you have said and done have helped her so much.”

And of course, I did receive multiple notes with “Chicken Jockey” either written or a drawing of one!

The notes with words like, “Thank you for all you do,” are so meaningful because that note is from a student in middle school taking the time to share an encouragement!

I have been with Crime Victim Services since 2017. I worked with the CASA program for five years but saw a need for prevention and have been in schools as an educator for three school seasons. A hard turn has happened that impacts our prevention program at Crime Victim Services. Cuts to federal program funding could likely affect the work we do here in our community.

I am one of four prevention educators – and we teach thousands of students in our community each year! As educators, we bring awareness to the students and teach how to keep themselves safe in their relationships.

When I think of the students – I remember their faces, their comments, and their questions. Sometimes they share their stories in brave moments.

Just a few months ago, I taught at a school that was new for our program. I was noticing reactions from the students during the boundary lesson. I spoke with the teacher in between classes about the reactions. What she shared next with me was a reminder of our impact.

A group chat involving students from multiple middle schools had been compromised by two adult men. An inappropriate video was shared within the chat by one of the adults – and the men were asking for locations to meet. The teacher told me the students were talking about this after my first visit – and shared that it took a couple days to collect information from all the devices and make police reports.

This happened to middle school students. And the reactions that were happening as I taught boundaries were a response to a lesson they were learning in real time! Even group chats need to be considered with caution.

As this last school year was ending – I taught a lesson including digital boundaries to a middle school class. The teacher shared something with me before I left – and let me know I could use this as a cautionary story for other students. She told me about a negative experience on Discord involving a teenager in her family who had been contacted by an adult through that platform. She spoke of the necessity in our work! 

I like to tell the students how I absolutely love teaching boundaries. I would have been so thankful to have been taught this lesson in school – to know we could even have a boundary – and then to protect it!

Our work with Crime Victim Services has a reach that is needed. When a person can find healing and recognize they are worthy of being protected – that brings change. We are doing good work! I want to keep going into our schools and hear, “Thank you for coming!”