The Spark

Florida's first abuse and neglect prevention-focused convention began in 2024 as a joint partnership between Prevent Child Abuse Florida and The Florida Center for Early Childhood.

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Leaders from both organizations worked together to secure the location - Orlando. With the city so centrally located, it was a natural choice to ensure advocates from all over the state could attend. But even with the area selected, the venue was hard to narrow down. 

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The challenge of starting a convention from scratch was intimidating - who would attend? What resources will they need? How do we connect these advocates, and how many will actually attend?

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The Prevention Convention team didn't let the challenge get in the way of the dream - and our efforts were rewarded in every way.

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The convention featured helpful and innovative presentations and vendors, surpassed the attendee goal by 15%, and everyone present expressed joy and motivation from the connections they made (and the desire for more opportunities to do so).

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The resulting advocacy work has been incredible, and this year, the second ever Prevention Convention aims to keep that momentum going.