Take 25 is a campaign created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) that asks families, educators, law-enforcement officers and trusted adults to take 25 minutes to talk to children about safety. Created in honor of National Missing Children’s Day which is annually recognized on May 25th, Take 25 helps educate communities on safety risks and ways to better protect the children in their lives. During the months of April and May, communities are invited to join NCMEC in this grassroots effort by promoting ongoing safety conversations between children and their families.

Talking to children about ways to stay safe is vital; keeping the dialogue going is even more critical. According to the FBI there were approximately 500,000 reports of missing children under the age of 18 in 2013.[1] The good news is that the majority of these children are recovered quickly. Even better news is that children and communities are fighting back. An analysis conducted by NCMEC of 8,000 confirmed attempted abductions showed that 51% of children walked or ran away and 32% took action to escape such as yelling, kicking, or pulling away. Even more inspiring, is that in 17% of these cases, a parent or another individual intervened to rescue the child. to join NCMEC in this grassroots effort by promoting ongoing safety conversations between children and their families.

Getting involved is easy. Everyone can join this national movement by sharing the Take 25 message and resources, encouraging others to begin a dialogue with children, and pledging to take time to talk to children about safety. And who doesn’t have time for that?

Be an Advocate. Showcase how you and your organization advocate for child safety. Highlight the Take 25 campaign in newsletters, on your website, and through social media. There are a number of free resources available, including talking points and tweets to help get started.

Share. Encourage local businesses, libraries, schools, community groups, houses of worship, and others to take time to talk to children about safety. Share these messages in person, through social media, or by displaying a Take 25 campaign poster in communities.

Take the Pledge. Pledge to make a difference. Just 25 minutes out of your day could help protect a child. Pledge to talk to children about safety and encourage others to do the same. Rally your employees, members, affiliates, co-workers, and the local community to help get the conversation going.

http://www.take25.org/