The Joyful Child Foundation

Be Brave - Be Safe Empowerment Program (AKA BRAVE Programs)

The Joyful Child Foundation (TJCF)’s cornerstone BRAVE Program offers a joyful, child-centered approach to safety, equipping children with the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills to recognize and avoid danger, assert personal boundaries, and resist violence, abuse, exploitation, bullying, trafficking, and abduction. Lesson Topics Include: Be Brave - Be Safe Principles Safety at Home Safety to and From Home Safety at School Listening to My Body Questionable Behaviors Safety with Friends Situations of Conflict Safety in Public Communications Technology (Safety Online) Launched in 2013 with a 10-Lesson Elementary Curriculum for credentialed teachers and BRAVE Workshops for nonprofits serving high-need families, the program expanded in 2018 to include video-based lessons for children in Grades K–6. In 2022, TJCF developed three BRAVE Video Lessons and Teacher Training modules for Early Learners (Pre-K), distributed to all Early Learning Centers in Orange County and made available to school and community partners via custom websites featuring comprehensive resources for teachers, parents, and caring adults. In 2024, partnered with Healing To You (H2Y) for a project supported by funding from the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) American Rescue Plan COVID-19 Testing, Vaccines, and Mobile Health Unit Supplemental Funding Program, administered through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Together, we published our first BRAVE Comic Book with a QR Code linking to trauma-informed video lessons. The Comic Book is a tangible resource that introduces the core principles of safety empowerment in an accessible and engaging format. These materials are distributed through H2Y’s medical and mental health mobile units to survivors of domestic violence in Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. These resources are available through TJCF’s secure website, bebravebesafe.org, shared with schools, partner agencies, and families. However, the current platform does not support data collection or usage tracking and that is why our current focus is on transitioning to a learner-centered online platform with robust usage analytics. As children face increasing emotional and environmental challenges in the wake of the endless news cycle, access to evidence-based, empowering prevention education is more critical than ever. No other organization offers the breadth or scalability of BRAVE, and collaborative partnerships are essential to embed consistent safety messaging across schools, families, nonprofits, and law enforcement.