Lessons learned from the start strong: Building healthy teen relationships initiative

Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships was a four-year, national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Eleven diverse urban and rural communities in ten states across the country worked in their middle schools and communities to build healthy relationship skills in young adolescents to prevent teen dating violence and abuse. Collaborating with teachers, parents, school administrators and health professionals, Start Strong sites implemented a program that engaged youth directly, while working towards school climate and systems changes. Start Strong sites were tasked with: • Educating and engaging youth, 11-to 14-years old, in school and in out-of-school settings; • Educating and engaging youth influencers, such as older teens, parents, teachers, school nurses and staff; • Changing school policies and environmental factors to promote development of healthy relationships and prevent adolescent dating abuse/ • Implementing social marketing/communication strategies to change social norms. With the conclusion of the Start Strong initiative many “lessons learned” and innovative strategies have emerged that provide insights into creating healthy schools and students, with schools acting as the hub of middle school communities. Middle school is a natural place to engage both youth and parents, administrators and staff in healthy relationship development and teen dating violence prevention--where health, education/awareness building and prevention all intersect. The experience of the Start Strong sites offers valuable lessons for teen dating violence prevention but also related violence prevention work, such as bullying prevention. During this session, we will share key strategies, emerging issues and lessons learned from the Start Strong experience.