February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM). This annual, month-long campaign focuses on advocacy and education to prevent abuse before it starts. Dating violence affects young people in the U.S. at the same rate as adults, with one in three teens experiencing physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse from someone with whom they’re in a dating relationship (Love is Respect, 2024). Teen dating violence — also called intimate relationship violence or intimate partner violence among adolescents or adolescent relationship abuse — includes physical, psychological or sexual abuse; harassment; or stalking of any person ages 12 to 18 in the context of a past or present romantic or consensual relationship (National Institute of Justice, 2024). To further explore what dating violence may look like in adolescent relationships, please see the Teen Dating Violence Power & Control Wheel created by Between Friends’ Community and Professional Training Manager.
Between Friends’ Approach:
At Between Friends, we believe everyone has the right to a healthy, safe relationship. To support young people, we offer counseling services to teenagers who have witnessed domestic violence within their family and/or have been in dating relationships in which they were harmed. In addition to these services, Between Friends also provides support group sessions for youth ages 13 to 17 to process difficult emotions, identify safe and healthy coping strategies, and build community with one another.
To end the cycle of domestic violence, Between Friends leads one of the largest and most comprehensive teen dating violence prevention programs in Illinois: Relationship Education: A Choice for Hope (REACH). REACH engages 6th through 12th grade youth in an eight-week curriculum that examines issues including empathy, consent, boundaries, and conflict resolution in all kinds of relationships, as well as how to make positive differences in their communities. Between Friends Prevention Educators work with thousands of students each year, helps ensure teens know how to access information and support services, and advocates for them to practice healthy communication skills to support the development of healthy relationships in adulthood.
For young people interested in diving deeper into healthy relationships and dating violence prevention, Between Friends developed Youth Creating Allies for Relationship Education (YCARE). YCARE engages high school age students to be leaders in their communities, to educate and raise awareness about dating violence, and to learn skills and strategies to build healthy identities, relationships, and communities. Topics covered in YCARE include privilege and oppression, gender roles, building healthy relationships, the effects of trauma and sexual harassment, job-skills, financial education, reparative justice, youth facilitation, self-reflection, the importance of consent, advocacy skills, empowerment, and self-care. YCARE Leaders work alongside Between Friends staff to build communities free of domestic violence and identify a project connected to the programs’ goals and the needs of their peers each year.
Adults have a great deal to learn from young people, too. The REACH program organizes prevention and education workshops for parents/caregivers, educators, health care providers, and other adults who work with teens. All our prevention programming aligns with the Illinois Social and Emotional Learning standards and National Sexuality Education Standards and promotes safe and healthy relationship development.
Between Friends believes relationship violence is preventable. Therefore, Crisis Intervention and Prevention Education services go hand-in-hand with TDVAM. By offering comprehensive programming to entire communities across the Chicagoland area, Between Friends is equipping our neighbors with the tools necessary for everyone to feel safe and equal in their relationships. We are grateful for the dedication and support of our Prevention Educators and Counselors who work to make our mission possible!
Join the Movement:
Want to join in the movement to end dating violence? Check out our Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Toolkit! Interested in having any of the programs outlined above in your community? Contact us here!