DOVE: YouthSpeak

Support our efforts in local high schools to provide healthy relationship education and abuse prevention to students.

The Problem

The CDC finds that about 1 out of every 4 teens will experience an abusive relationship. Students often reach out first to their peers instead of an adult or professional. These peers are often not prepared to help their friends navigate the complexity of abusive, controlling, jealous and possessive relationships. Some of these relationships can become physically dangerous especially when the victim or survivor is trying to end the relationship.

The Solution

Our YouthSpeak program aims to train upper classmen in high school to support and educate their peers. Knowing that students are more likely to listen and seek help from people their own age, we provide extensive training to our Peer Leaders to respond safely and effectively to issues involving dating abuse in their school. The Peer Leaders present a workshop in health classes to their peers on healthy relationships and where to go for help. They also work with DOVE for the entire school year to bring in awareness projects and activities related to healthy relationships.

Planned Use Of Funds

Funding would support program training materials and supplies. It would also give us the opportunity to provide small stipends to peer leaders that agree to partner with us for the entire school year. It also would allow us to bring in some theater performances from local theaters that produce shows about healthy and abusive relationships. These shows can help us recruit for new peer leaders when shown in an assembly setting at a school.