269283 Program components and key themes

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 8:35 AM - 8:55 AM

Debbie Lee , Futures Without Violence, San Francisco, CA
     
This presentation will provide an overview of the Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships initiative. The overall purpose of the initiative is to implement a comprehensive community health model to prevent adolescent dating, promote the development of healthy relationships and foster community environments that support healthy adolescent development. The specific program elements, implemented in eleven grantee communities are listed below:

1. Educate 11- 14-year-olds about adolescent dating abuse in schools and in out-of-school settings. 2. Educate and engage teen influencers such as parents/caregivers, teachers, counselors, coaches, youth program mentors, young mentors (15 - 18 year olds) and other mentors (health clinic personnel, family planning providers, school nurses, etc.) to support 11- to 14-year-olds in developing healthy relationships and preventing adolescent dating abuse. 3. Change policies and environmental factors to promote development of healthy relationships and prevent adolescent dating abuse. 4. Implement communications strategies to promote development of healthy relationships and prevent adolescent dating abuse.

As the Start Strong program matures, lessons are emerging about how to initiate conversations with youth about healthy relationships, change expectations and attitudes, affect behaviors and re-shape norms. These principles are culled from the work of the program's local communities—pioneering collaboratives around the country that are identifying and testing new practices to promote healthy teen dating relationships. The work of many of these innovative communities is youth-informed and -led. During this session, we will provide an overview of Start Strong and discuss program “gems” and key themes emerging from community work.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe reasons middle school is an important time to promote healthy relationships and prevent teen dating violence. 2. List specific strategies to approach teen dating violence prevention utilizing youth-informed tools that speak to today’s youth.

Keywords: Youth Violence, Adolescent Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Debbie Lee is committed to advocating on behalf of battered women and improving the health care system’s response to domestic and intimate partner violence. An activist for domestic violence prevention for over 20 years, Debbie is currently the Managing Director of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, which works to prevent violence within the home and in the community and to help those whose lives are devastated by violence.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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