Children who witness abuse in their homes, learn it from their friends, or observe it in popular culture may think it’s okay. Teens between the ages of 16 and 19 are 3.5 times more likely than the general public to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault; girls are significantly more likely to experience severe abuse or sexual assault than boys; and less than 10% of teens that experience abuse tell an authority figure.
Your support helps stop relationship violence by helping children develop the social and emotional skills they need early, before those patterns get entrenched.
Our violence prevention facilitators are in Evanston, Skokie, Morton Grove, and Des Plaines teaching empathy, problem solving, impulse control, and anti- bullying to elementary school children. They’re in middle school classrooms helping adolescents develop a strong sense of self, cope with peer pressure, and recognize and avoid gossip and cyberbullying. And they’re in high schools helping teens understand what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like, learn to set boundaries, and understand the resources they can access to stay safe. Click here for more details about this program, called Building Healthy Relationships.
Our intervention also includes programming specifically geared to training young men to recognize violence against women and to become allies to women. We also work with local colleges to address campus dating violence, providing training and resources for both students and staff.
Learn about the specifics of our Violence Prevention Programs here.