Peer engagement and dating violence/sexual assault: Longitudinal study on youth behavior & knowledge

Add Verb, a program of the University of New England, has presented YOU THE MAN to US high schools and colleges since 2002. YOU THE MAN is a 30-minute play professionally performed by one actor featuring five male characters whose lives are impacted by violence committed by other men around them. The play is at the center of a school-based educational program geared to engage bystander prevention for interpersonal violence and sexual assault. The premise of the play, as presented in context of an empowerment/educational process, is to model realistic characters and scenarios as to engage the community in violence prevention, and to provide a critical opportunity for local violence prevention agencies to interact with students. Emphasis is on bystander accountability, while honoring the voice and safety of survivors. Increasingly arts and media are used to communicate with youth around violence issues, but there is very little data as to efficacy, and there is a valid concern about making things worse, marginalizing victims, or overgeneralization. With funding from the Bingham Program, a longitudinal study follows 9th graders with pre and post surveys as well as focus groups to examine the programs influence on the likelihood of bystander engagement in particular and school climate overall. Research and findings from 3 years of data will be shared. This study will inform best practices for theatre as an evidence-based educational tool in the area of violence prevention specifically, and using theatre in youth-based health education in general.