Healthy Relationships Promotion & Advocacy

Healthy Relationships- Promotion and Advocacy 

Syllabus

Course Description:

Healthy Relationships: Promotion and Advocacy builds upon the foundations of the NHS Game Changers program to prepare students to be advocates within their own school community.  The course provides an in-depth look at the fundamental elements of healthy relationships, how relationships are impacted by social factors, and the steps needed to create social change. 

NHS Game Changers is a youth based organization (in partnership with Northeastern University and Voices Against Violence) that seeks to promote healthy relationships within the school community as well as prevent all forms of relationship violence, including sexual harassment and assault.  This course is designed for all students. Whether you are involved with Game Changers or simply passionate about engaging in discussions with your peers and advocating for a safer, healthier, school environment, this course is for you.

This  course was developed to inspire young people who want to make a change within their school community and generation through the understanding and promotion of healthy relationships and informed decision-making.  

Course Objectives:

1. Recognize healthy and safe behaviors in a relationship

2. Increase students’ understanding of intimate partner violence

3. Enable students to reach out to provide support and help to a friend or family member who may be involved in an abusive relationship

4. Increase help-seeking behavior among students involved in an abusive dating relationship

5. Promote healthier approaches to dating relationships and conflicts

The Role of Mentorship: Teens who experience violence within their relationships are more likely to tell their friends about their experiences than an adult. With that in mind, we will train junior and senior students to work with each other and with their teacher facilitator. Peer education groups serve as an excellent source of support for teens who are learning to navigate their own personal values and boundaries. These peer leaders will encourage the younger students the basics of self-advocacy and the importance of reaching out to a trusted adult when needed. 

Rationale:

• Nearly 20.9% of female high school students and 13.4% of male high school students report being physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.1 

• Nearly 1.5 million high school students in the United States are physically abused by dating partners every year.2 

• Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence — almost triple the national average.3 

• Violent behavior typically begins between the ages of 12 and 18.4 

• One in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence yearly. 90% of these children are eyewitnesses.5