Good Knights program teaches childen how to identify strangers

Will Oremus

Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 | 4:12 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: August 16, 2003

Dressing up in medieval garb and dubbing children "Good Knights" may not seem like an effective homeland security strategy, but Nevada Youth Alliance President David Osman said he can't wait to get the program started in local communities.

Snow White and the Blue Knight -- also known as Sophia West and Edward Jagen, leaders of the Maryland-based nonprofit Good Knight Child Empowerment Network -- were in Las Vegas Wednesday evening to kick off a partnership with Osman's alliance that will bring their Homeland Security Youth Mentoring Program to hundreds of Nevada children.

The program uses a knighthood theme to teach kids how to avoid falling prey to kidnappers, sexual predators and other dangerous adults. Younger children can become "good knights," while older children are encouraged to become "champions," holding seminars to educate younger kids.

At the core of the education program is a 30-minute video on the "ABCs of Safety" that uses skits to demonstrate the tricks criminals use to entice children to come with them.

Of course, most kids are already taught not to talk to strangers, said Jagen, who used to be an investigator with the Washington, D.C., police force.

The problem, he said, is that "they never define what a stranger is." Children are easily fooled by adults who pretend to be family members, friends or authority figures.

The Good Knight program teaches kids to "define a stranger by how they treat you," watching out for the deceptions that potential predators commonly employ.

The link to Homeland Security stems partly from Secretary Tom Ridge's "Operation Predator" initiative targeting child abusers, and partly from the idea that the young knights will gain the confidence and wherewithal to resist violence in all of its forms.

"What we're doing is, for the most vulnerable part of our society, we're raising awareness," West said.

Jagen said the program also builds character.

"A subliminal message is to judge people by their behavior toward you," as opposed to their appearance or their race, Jagen said. He added that children who are knighted are proud to take on the responsibility of protecting and watching out for others.

Children who watch the video and want to become knights must promise to protect themselves, look out for the safety of other children and spread the message of safety to the rest of their community, West said.

When Osman read about the program on the White House's USA Freedom Corps website, he said he saw it as a perfect opportunity for his nonprofit alliance to partner with a national organization to provide a valuable service to Nevada's children. He quickly contacted Good Knight to request a copy of the tape.

"I was very impressed (with the video), and that's another reason why my passion is behind it," Osman said.

He has already ordered 100 kits from the organization, which come free except for shipping and handling, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice. He said 50 would stay here in Southern Nevada while the other half would be distributed to communities across the state.

Jagen said Osman's was by far the largest single order Good Knights has received so far, and he predicted that Nevada's implementation of the program would serve as a model for other states.

But the program's ultimate objective is much more ambitious than just shipping 100 safety kits to each state.

"Our goal is that we unite an entire generation of children into a force against violence and intolerance," West said.

Jagen said that goal is less far-fetched than it sounds.

Jagen, a longtime police officer, said, "I've arrested people for every conceivable crime, and when you sit them down and talk to them after they've confessed, these people break down and sob." Most of them talk about how they were abused or molested as children, he said.

By encouraging children to take the initiative in learning and educating their peers about such dangers, the Good Knight leaders said they hope they can help break the cycle of violence.

Osman said the program will be introduced to Clark County through the 21st Century After School Programs, which the Nevada Youth Alliance sponsors in conjunction with the Clark County School District.

Volunteers are encouraged to apply to become site coordinators for the mentoring program, Osman said. Those interested can visit goodknight.org for more information.