In honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness month, the Health and Wellness Division's Just Ask Me (JAM) Peer Educators hosted their annual event to educate other teens across the organization on healthy dating practices and relationships. It comes at an important time when 81 percent of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue, but 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience abuse in relationships.

 

JAM Peers, led by health educator David Anderson, referenced pop culture examples and acted out scenarios to illustrate unhealthy behaviors that often times go unnoticed by teenagers. The activities sparked a candid conversation surrounding dating culture for the youth in attendance, who didn’t hold back in sharing opinions and experiences.

 

The Violence Intervention Program, a community-based organization that empowers Latina women to live violence-free lives, also educated our students on the realities for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and family violence. They emphasized the importance of recognizing early signs of abuse and also provided resources on how to get help and support.

 

In addition to providing direct services for our clients, our community centers are places to facilitate much needed conversations, and we applaud the JAM teens for making great use of the space to advance the health and well-being of their peers.