Bay Area Women’s Center hopes coloring books provide the tools to open tough conversations

A recent grant awarded to the Bay Area Women’s Center will put special coloring books into children's hands to help open conversations about uncomfortable subjects. The books also help kids learn to set boundaries for themselves and parents to respect those boundaries.

The $1,236 grant came from two funds at the Bay Area Community Foundation – the Civic League of Bay County Advisory Endowment Fund and the Youth Advisory Committee Endowment Fund.

Graphic courtesy of Bay Area Women's CenterThe grants support a project that will have an impact on stopping generational victimization for kids and adults in the community.

Lindsay Richardson, Development Director for the Bay Area Women’s Center, says $1,236 may not seem like a lot of money, but it will go far. She is using the funds to help the agency produce nearly a thousand educational coloring books to give away during events.

The Bay Area Women’s Center (BAWC), 3411 E. Midland Road, is a safe haven for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It also provides violence prevention education to the Bay County area. 

The Women’s Center team realized during a community event that they needed something to put into the hands of participants. They used the web tool Canva to create a coloring book.

Now, thanks to the grant, they’re packing the books up with crayons to give to kids and adults. The goal is to make it easier to talk about taboo topics.

While these books are new, the idea of using coloring books to open up difficult conversations is tried and true. Richardson says the Women’s Center has long used coloring books in classrooms.

“Coloring books are a great learning tool that provides entertainment but also helps to facilitate a conversation between child and parent,” she says.

The coloring books explain bodily autonomy and a child’s right to say no when something makes them uncomfortable. Richardson says the coloring books not only give kids the awareness and the words to say no, they’re also learning tools for adults.

Graphic courtesy of Bay Area Women's Center“They learn that they need to respect their child saying no. If they don’t want to hug a person to say ‘That’s OK’ and then we can leave. Kids are able to set their boundaries.”

During the school year, Richardson says they take full-sized coloring books into classrooms. During the summer, though, it’s harder to connect with kids.

“We don’t have the opportunity to talk with the kids, in most cases, that we’re meeting with when we’re out in the community.”

Handing out coloring books at community awareness events will allow the Women’s Center to reach a large and diverse range of the community. Survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault come from all backgrounds, making it crucial to reach as many people as possible.

“So that's where the coloring book comes in,” she says.

Richardson says the Women’s Center wants to improve the project. They are looking for a volunteer to create new illustrations for the coloring books. “We’re seeking applications for a volunteer that can help us design (the coloring book) like an actual professionally designed type of coloring book.”

She says they need donors to supply crayons, bags, or help defray the cost of printing the coloring books.

To volunteer or learn more, contact the BAWC at (989) 686-4551.