About Us

Who are we?

WHO^® is an educational program that helps children and teenagers learn how to prevent their own victimization by using appropriate decision-making and communication skills. 

A goal for the WHO^®program is for children and adolescents to see themselves as capable, worthy human beings who do not deserve abuse of any kind and to understand they are not to blame should they be victimized.       

What is WHO^®’s Message?
WHO^® helps children and teens learn three ways in which We Help Ourselves:

How does WHO^® help children & teens learn about anti-victimization and violence prevention skills?

• Used in public school systems, private schools, organizations, and religious groups. Most effective when used in class-size groups of 20 to 30 children.
• Uses age-appropriate curricula and a combination of videotapes, puppets, discussion, and follow-up materials to help children learn techniques in personal safety.
• Provides important information in a fun, interesting, and non-threatening manner.
• Presented by trained facilitators: school counselors, nurses, teachers, and volunteers.
• WHO^® is easy and relatively inexpensive to replicate in your community.

WHO^® Quick Facts

• Conceived, developed, and copyrighted by the Mental Health Association of Greater Dallas in 1981.
• WHO^® is an educationally sound curriculum based on sensitive, non-threatening content and methodology.
• Presented in classroom settings for kindergarten through 12th grade, in English and in Spanish.
• Has been utilized by 208 public and private organizations in Texas, and 50 school districts and organizations in ten other states.
• Over 210,000 school children in Texas have participated in the program during the 2005-2006 school year.
• The WHO^® program is presented in every elementary school in the Dallas Independent School District.
• WHO^® has been proven statistically to teach children and adolescents concepts and strategies of personal safety and to retain such knowledge over time.