WHO Family

The WHO^® Program has been around for over 20 years and its popularity has primarily been spread by word of mouth!  The WHO^® Family is comprised of school districts, churches, boys & girls clubs, victim crisis centers, head starts and a variety of organizations that serve children.

The following quotes are from some of our WHO^® Family and what they have experienced using the program:

“This is my first year doing WHO^® and I worked with preschool children. The teachers and parents of these children were very thankful that we did this program. WHO^® is set up so the children learn quickly and it is not difficult to present. I have enjoyed doing the program with the kids and feel it is something everyone should provide to their children."

- Pat Scott
Facilities Coordinator/Safety Officer
St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Community

“This program is really easy to facilitate because they provide you with comprehensive training and materials—from puppets to actual scripts of the videos to the suggested dialog interchange. I love to see how the kids respond to the age appropriate topics and scenarios. They seem to be empowered by learning the WHO^® rules and I can feel confident they have mastered the ideas presented since we repeat them with each scenario.   This is a program children of all ages look forward to seeing year after year because it changes as they mature and face different challenges—plus it gives them the opportunity to talk about situations that make them feel scared or uncomfortable in a non-threatening environment.”

- Mary Schaar
Director of Safe Environment
St. Pius X Catholic Church

“I have been doing WHO^® for years and I can't express enough gratitude for this program. Dallas Independent School District has had the wonderful privilege of having WHO^® in all of our elementary schools in the last 3 years (and counting) and the children love it! The training is very beneficial and our counselors always learn the most current and updated information that affects our children in today's world."

- Mary Jane Hall
DISD Supervisor/Counselor

“As an elementary school counselor, it is essential to develop a proactive and preventive guidance program that helps students build important life skills. The WHO^® Program is a vital component of our curriculum for anti-victimization skills. This program teaches personal safety strategies and behaviors to empower students to help themselves. This is a valuable asset for counselors to encourage and maximize the full potential of their students while promoting safety at the same time."

- Jennifer M. Todd, M.S., LPC-Intern
School Counselor
Lewisville Independent School District

“I have been involved with the WHO^® Program for 15 years. I can relate stories about children who escaped dangerous situations, because they had the WHO^® Program. In one or two situations lives were saved, because the children knew the WHO^® rules and followed them.  WHO^® makes a difference! I think WHO^® is one of the best programs to help children prevent their own victimization.”

- Paula Cawthon
Community Relations Director
Mental Health Mental Retardation Services of Texoma

“The Youth Advocate Program of Dallas has found the WHO^® Program to be a child and parent friendly approach to child protection and child abuse and neglect prevention. The WHO^® Program offers self empowerment to children and youth."

- Beverly Booker
Program Director
Youth Advocate Program

“The WHO^® Program is an excellent program for prevention as well as intervention. The students are engaged in every situation. This program allows the children to open up in a non-threatening environment, which allows me to follow up. The WHO^® Program is presented both in English and Spanish, which helps our bilingual students, understand the concepts in their native language. I highly recommend the WHO^® Program to all elementary campuses."

- Imelda Alcala
Counselor
Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD

“The Mental Health Association’s creation of the WHO^® Program has proven to be an extremely worthwhile investment.  The program has experienced an enormous amount of success, as it is now used by hundreds of school districts, volunteer groups, PTA’s, and many other organizations throughout the country. We are aware that the WHO^® Program has done an excellent job in teaching children and adolescents how to avoid becoming victims of violence.“

- Julia Easley, LMSW
Advocacy Manager
Children’s Medical Center of Dallas