There's one Saturday in August when the church doesn't stay only within itself. It sets up a tent in the town square, holds a walk, hands magazines to passersby and talks about something hard: abuse and violence inside the home. That's Breaking the Silence, the Adventist Church's largest social awareness campaign.
If you're a Pathfinder, you've probably already been asked to help — or you will be, if your club hasn't taken part yet. And then the right questions come: what is this campaign, anyway? When does it fall in 2026? Is the club in charge, or the church? What can a Pathfinder do, and what should they not do? And if someone shares a real case out in the street, where do we refer them?
This article answers all of that with sources. One important thing to set apart right away: here we're talking about the dated public awareness campaign. The club's internal policy for protecting children day to day — who can be alone with a minor, how bathrooms and trips are organized — is a separate matter, covered in child protection in the club. Data verified on 07/22/2026 from the official sources listed at the end.
What is the Breaking the Silence campaign?
It's an annual educational program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, run by the Women's Ministries, against abuse and domestic violence. It's not a one-day event: it runs all year in talks, materials and activities in the churches — but it has a public landmark, the fourth Saturday of August, when the church goes out into the street.
The project has existed since 2002 and today takes place in eight South American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. It is part of a larger global initiative of the world church called End it Now, which mobilizes the whole denomination against violence.
The goal is simple to state and hard to do: bring out of silence what usually stays hidden. Make people aware that abuse also exists inside the home, guide families and educators about victims' rights and the importance of reporting, and show that the church is a safe place to seek help. That's why distributing material is the heart of the campaign: magazines in three lines — a children's one, a teen one and an adult one — plus posters, banners and social media content.
When is Breaking the Silence in 2026, and what's the theme?
The campaign's main day is always the fourth Saturday of August. In 2026, that date falls on August 22. Keep the logic, not just the number: since it's "the fourth Saturday," the date changes every year — in 2027 it will be a different day in August. Always confirm in the year's official material before setting the club's schedule.
The theme also changes every year, and it's chosen by the Women's Ministries. In 2026, the focus is violence against older adults — the campaign comes with the slogan "Older Adults at Risk," drawing attention to the violence that strikes precisely those who most need care. In previous years the campaign has already addressed other audiences and forms of violence, such as digital violence. This matters for the club: the material, the sermon and the conversation in the square in 2026 revolve around older adults, so it's worth planning activities that bring Pathfinders closer to the older people in the community.
One detail that shows the campaign's reach beyond the church: in Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil), a 2025 state law made the fourth Saturday of August the official day of Breaking the Silence on the state calendar. In other words, it's not an "Adventist-to-Adventist" date — it's a public cause that civil authorities already recognize.
Where to find the year's material: the Women's Ministries publishes everything on the church's official downloads portal (magazines, posters, banners and presentations). The link is in the sources at the end of this page. Don't use material from previous years in this year's activity — the theme and the data change.
How does the Pathfinder club fit into this campaign?
This calls for honesty, not assumption. Breaking the Silence is organized by the church's Women's Ministries, not by the Pathfinder club. The club doesn't own the campaign; it's one of the arms the church uses to carry the action into the street.
That doesn't diminish the club's role — quite the opposite. A Pathfinder club is uniformed, organized people, used to marching, pitching tents and speaking with the public. It's the workforce and the young face a walk needs. In practice, participation usually happens in three ways:
- Handing out material. Pathfinders deliver the campaign's magazines and leaflets in squares, markets, at traffic lights, hospitals and homes — always in pairs or groups, never alone, and always with the respectful approach the church directs.
- Walks and public gatherings. In many cities the campaign becomes a walk down the avenue, with banner, T-shirt and poster. The club helps give the event body and visibility.
- Forums and talks. The campaign holds educational and preventive talks, often with the participation of professionals and authorities. The club usually helps with the organization, the welcome and the turnout.
Notice the verbs: the club supports, hands out, marches, welcomes. It brings hands, order and presence. Handling the content — what is said, who gives the talk, how a case is dealt with — belongs to the church and the professionals, not to the kids in uniform.
Read alsoImpacto Esperança and the clubThe three layers: what's a rule, what varies and what's a principle
Much of the confusion about "what the club has to do" disappears once you separate three things that usually come bundled together. One is church policy. Another depends on your city and whoever decides there. The third is the reason for all of it.
| Layer | What it is | Who defines it |
|---|---|---|
| Written official rule | The campaign exists, belongs to the Women's Ministries, happens on the fourth Saturday of August (Aug 22 in 2026), in eight countries, within the End it Now initiative, with the year's own theme and material | Adventist Church (Women's Ministries of the South American Division) |
| Practice that varies | Whether there'll be a walk or only distribution, in which square, with what script, whether the club takes part and with how many Pathfinders, at what time | The local coordination: district pastor, the church's Women's Ministries and the club's leadership, together |
| Educational principle | Why a club of children and teens gets involved with such a heavy topic: service to the community, defense of the vulnerable, the courage not to pretend the problem doesn't exist | The values of Pathfindering and the example of Jesus |
The rule in the first row you don't change: the date, the theme and the material come ready from above. The second row is where your real decisions live — and their right address is the club's leadership talking with your church's Women's Ministries coordination, not a Pathfinder deciding on their own. The third row is the one you carry in your chest and that doesn't vanish when the walk ends.
Getting the layer wrong is what causes friction. A club that decides on its own to run a "Breaking the Silence activity" without talking to the Women's Ministries is meddling with the bottom layer as if it owned the top one. And a family that thinks "the club is required to take part" is confusing principle with policy. Arrange it, don't assume.
What does the Pathfinder do — and not do — on the main day?
The best volunteer is the one who knows exactly how far their role goes. In a campaign about such a delicate topic, that's not fussiness: it's protection, both yours and that of the people you'll meet.
What works well:
- Handing over the magazine with a smile and a kind word, without pushing and without arguing with anyone who declines.
- Walking in the march with a clean uniform, the banner in hand and the conduct of someone who represents something bigger.
- Helping with logistics: pitching the tent, organizing the line, welcoming those who arrive at the forum, taking care of the sound and the chairs.
- Listening respectfully if someone wants to talk — and knowing who to call.
What is not the Pathfinder's role:
- Not a counselor. If a person begins to share a case of violence, you don't need to have the right answer or to "fix" it. Welcome them without judging, don't promise a secrecy you can't keep, and immediately call a responsible adult from the club or the church.
- Not an investigator. It's not your place to interrogate, take photos, write down a suspect's name or try to look into anything. That's the work of the authorities.
- Never alone. Distribution always in a pair or group, in sight of a leader. The club's usual rule applies.
One phrase sums up the limit: the Pathfinder is a bridge, not a destination. They bring the person closer to help; the ones who handle the case are the responsible adults and the official channels — coming up in the next section.
Where do you refer someone who needs help?
This is the most important part of the article, and the one every Pathfinder out in the street should know by heart. The campaign exists so that no one is left not knowing where to ask for help. In Brazil, the government's official, free channels are these:
| Channel | For what | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Disque 100 | Violence and rights violations against children and adolescents, older adults, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups | Free, anonymous, 24 hours, every day. By phone, WhatsApp, Telegram, website and app. Generates a case number |
| Ligue 180 | Violence against women | Free, confidential, 24 hours, every day. Records the report and guides on the protection network |
Both belong to the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship of Brazil. The report is anonymous and free, and the person receives a case number to follow up. Since the 2026 theme is violence against older adults, it's worth reinforcing: Disque 100 is the channel for cases involving older people.
A serious caution, because good intentions sometimes get in the way: if during an activity you become aware of a concrete case — a hurt child, an older adult at risk —, don't play vigilante or promise to solve it. Immediately notify an adult leader from the club or the church and, if appropriate, guide the person to call 100 or 180 themselves, or make the report yourself through one of the channels. In a situation of immediate danger, the number is 190 (Military Police). The club's role is to bring people closer to help, calmly and without exposing anyone.
Why does such a heavy campaign fit the club?
At first glance it sounds strange: why put children and teens in uniform into a campaign about abuse? The answer lies in what Pathfindering says it is.
The club was made to shape people of service — people who see others, especially the weakest, and do something about it. The Pathfinder Law and Pledge speak of kindness, of helping others, of being pure. Breaking the Silence takes those beautiful values we repeat every Saturday and carries them to the place where they hurt: the home where someone suffers in silence. Handing out a magazine that teaches a child to say "no," or that shows an older woman she has somewhere to call, is Christian service in the most direct sense there is.
And it works both ways. By taking part, the Pathfinder themselves learns that abuse is not normal, that there is someone to turn to and that the church is a safe place to speak up. The campaign protects the person who receives the magazine — and it educates the one who hands it out.
That's why the club's involvement is not going off course, it's Pathfindering working as intended. The walk ends, the magazines run out, but in the boy and the girl with the scarf around their neck there remains a certainty worth a lifetime: when someone is in danger, we don't stay silent.