New Collaboration Will Teach Healthy Relationships across Grade Levels
DVN partners with Social Health Association, Playworks Indiana and parents to deliver program
As part of the Domestic Violence Network’s training and education repertoire, our youth program coordinator, Lindsay Hill, provides healthy relationship education to Central Indiana schools. The free program is designed for three or four sessions over the course of a school year or semester, and the sessions are adapted from The Dibble Institute’s curriculum, Relationship Smarts Plus.
Relationship Smarts Plus is originally a 12-lesson evidence-based relationship skills curriculum for teenagers and is listed on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, a service of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Our program follows Social Health Association of Indiana’s new C.A.R.E program (Communicating with And Respecting Each other), healthy relationship education for Indiana 8th grade students.
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships
During the sessions, teenagers will learn about healthy versus unhealthy relationships, community resources, teen dating abuse, breaking up and how to create and maintain healthy boundaries with friends and dating partners. Each session will provide the students with a fun, interactive and comfortable environment to learn and grow. The curriculum uses activities that empower students rather than focusing on the negative aspects of relationships.
One obstacle of educating our youth on healthy relationships is making sure we have consistent programming that starts at a young age and continues into adulthood. Consistent programming allows for children to build a solid foundation of kindness, empathy and compassion through the developmental process.
To help overcome this obstacle, the Domestic Violence Network has partnered with Social Health Association of Indiana and Playworks Indiana to develop a continuum of care for youth. One of the goals of the partnership is to create and promote consistent healthy relationship messaging across K-12 and in our communities. The partnership is still in the planning stages, but stay tuned for more information!
Parent are Partners Too
Parents are important partners too. Leading by example and having ongoing conversations with their children about healthy relationships are a good way to start.
Book today!
If you would like healthy relationship education in your classroom, youth group or other venue where young people convene, please contact Lindsay Hill at 317-872-1086.
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Lindsay Hill has been the Youth Program Coordinator for the Domestic Violence Network since October 2014. Her passion lies with educating our youth on the dynamics of teen dating violence and healthy relationships.
