WHAT IS YPAD?
Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to building empowered dance communities and keeping kids healthy and safe in all dance environments. Their Advisory Panel includes PH.D specialists in multiple fields and various dance leaders.
YPAD’s programming has a strong focus on the emotional, physical and sexual health and the self-esteem and identity of children and teens. They provide certified studios access to a library of evidence-based research which raises awareness regarding the exploitation of youth in our dance culture, inclusive of but not limited to; psychological harm, sexual abuse, hyper-sexualization or kinetically unsafe instruction for growing children and young adults that leads to unnecessary injuries.
While these are big and at times, overwhelming topics, we at Joy in Motion believe it's our duty of care to be aware and continually educating ourselves to ensure all our students receive the safest dance education possible. By partnering with YPAD our goal is to continue to be set apart as THE dance studio that puts the health, safety, and well-being of its students FIRST. Dancing well is important - but the safety, health and well-being of our students is and will always be our number one priority.
Joy in Motion is proud to be the only YPAD certified studio in Queensland, Australia.
A NOTE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
I'm so excited for our studio to join the YPAD community and what this means for our staff and students.
Knowing that my teachers have adequate training and ongoing support to face the difficult realities of teaching young people today is hugely reassuring as a studio owner.
I know we won't do everything perfectly but I wholeheartly believe when you know better, you do better and we're 100% committed to putting our students first and helping them become the best they can be.
