Part I
A course of study taught in many schools has helped countless teenagers.
Through the Teen Dating Violence Intervention and Prevention Project,
students have been shown different ways to learn how to communicate without
fighting. While attending the classes some even recognized their own
destructive behavior, abuse to themselves, their families or friends, and
have gone on to group or individualized counseling. Teachers let students
know help is available.
Mrs. Marion Williams, TRUST Counselor, and teacher Ms. Hunter discuss ways
of preventing violence in a class at Palmetto Middle School.
Classes are interesting enough to captivate student's attention and
initiate valuable discussions. The students ask numerous questions. Some
parents are surprised to learn that in the middle school years when their
children begin to go through so many changes, they do welcome answers to
their questions while in the Teen Dating Violence classes. Student reaction
to the weeklong sessions has been positive. Parental permission is required
to participate, but it is rare for a parent to oppose the class.
"Students are starting to develop interpersonal relationships,"
said Michele Rosen, LCSW, director of the project.
"Violence," she says, "becomes intergenerational. We try
to break the cycle of violence."
The classes are not just about dating violence. And abuse crosses all lines
of the socioeconomic stratum. "We have students seeking help from
different religions, races, and areas of town," says Rosen.
Would it startle you to learn that even pets are involved in the cycle of
abuse? Sometimes the aggressor takes out violent acts on pets in the home.
The Greater Miami Humane Society is one of the newest partners in supporting
those who request help from domestic violence. When individuals seek help at
shelters available through the county, foster homes are sought for the
family pets until families are reunited.
Many adults familiar with the program have the same reaction.
"I wish they had this when I went to school," was a comment voiced
by many adults.
Teachers are educated in the program by a team of trained counselors
including Mrs. Marion Williams, a TRUST Counselor at Palmetto Middle School.
One training session included teachers from Palmetto, Brownsville, Homestead
Middle and several other middle schools.
"A lot of kids are in abuse situations and are not even aware that
they are in them," said James Smith, of Richmond Heights Middle School.
"A follow-up program helps them. It is really a positive
experience."
Meantime, Homestead Middle School teacher Lydia Fonseca said, "It
teaches the students what can happen on dates, how to avoid negative
situations and how to deal with them when you encounter them."
Kareen Bally from Palmetto Middle School agreed. "I believe
all teachers need to familiarize themselves with the program," said
Bally. "The program shows teachers how to be aware and what signs to
look for."
How does the program begin to help teens? One example described how some
students might realize during a Teen Dating Violence discussion that they
are about to lose their boyfriend or girlfriend because their behavior has
been too controlling. So, they seek help. Others may learn their behavior is
far beyond what is appropriate and may be dangerous. At the end of the
program students often fill out forms requesting help.
The middle school students are taught signs of emotional, physical and
sexual abuse. Identifying abuse, such as withholding friendship, helps teens
to realize the emotional pain they cause others, a dilemma we read about too
often these days in teen tragedies.
Next-Part II The signs of abuse and students' reaction to the program.
|
