Project H.A.R.T.
Nearly 20 years ago, staff at this agency
began to work with teenagers to give them the knowledge and
skills to avoid abusive relationships. We believed that working with teens would help them as
adults. What has become more and more clear since then
is that adolescent dating relationships have high levels of
emotional, physical, and sexual violence, just as adult relationships
and marriages do. One out of every five teenage girls has been
the victim of such dating violence.
Project H.A.R.T. (Healthy Alternatives in
Relationships among Teens) is our most important community education
effort. Students across
the entire metro area participate in Project H.A.R.T., a multi-session
dating violence prevention workshop. It is presented to co-ed, all-male, and all-female groups,
in classrooms, residential settings, churches, summer camps,
and detention centers.
In co-ed settings, we measure the effectiveness
of the workshops with pre- and post-tests through which students
predict their likelihood of choosing behaviors which promote
healthy relationships and safety. Different versions of the test are given to males and
females and to middle school and senior high school students,
to take into account their different levels of development and
circumstances. During
2005, the score improvement for all middle school students and
the young men in senior high school was statistically significant,
p<.001. The score improvement for young women in senior
high was also statistically significant, but at a lower level. Their pre-test scores showed a higher level
of knowledge, and thus there was less room for their scores
to improve as much as was true of the other three groups.
No woman can prevent rape, but she can take
steps to reduce her risks. In
all-female settings, these measures are discussed, and the young
women are asked to write and sign pledges that they will take
such steps. In all-male settings, the young men are invited
to become our allies by making pledges regarding steps they
can take to end violence against women.
When our staff members return to these classrooms
for follow-up sessions, students report how they have fulfilled
their pledges. In 2005,
70% of young women and 78% of young men reported having taken
at least one action that was part of their pledge.
| Project
H.A.R.T. participants: |
6,274 |
*
|
| Project
H.A.R.T. sessions: |
958 |
|
*This
number is unduplicated though many students participated in up to five
different Project H.A.R.T. workshops.
| Ethnicity:
|
| |
Caucasian |
52%
|
| African-American |
42%
|
| Hispanic |
2%
|
| Asian |
1%
|
| Other |
3% |
| |
|
|
| Gender:
|
| |
Female |
53% |
| Male |
47%
|
