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So when teens hit a bump in the road they need to know the difference between a good relationship and a troubled one, said Kathy Schrader, a worker at the Women's Interval Home.
That's why a group of local teens, lead by Schrader, spent eight weeks learning and talking about dating and domestic violence.
A barbecue and public awareness day was held recently to get the word outThis isn't something that's taught to teens in schools," Schrader said. "The only examples they have are what they see at home. Sometimes that is good, sometimes it's not."
The program, sponsored by the Jessica Nethery Foundation, is in it's third year. Nethery, a local teen murdered by her abusive boyfriend, has become a symbol of the need to teach teens about domestic violence, said Schrader. Participants get community service hours for helping to spread the message about domestic violence to peers, said Schrader.
"They learn how to use assertiveness in relationships as opposed to anger," she said. "It also gives them tools they need to deal with conflict."
Those are important lessons, said Brianne Greenbird, one of the participants.
"We learned that relationships should not be focused on negativity," she said. "We also learned how to walk away from a bad relationship."
The group sold hot-dogs and gathered clothes for the Interval Home, an emergency shelter for people escaping abusive relationships.
The program will relaunch this fall with new participants and Schrader hopes to run it twice annually from now on.
"Domestic and dating violence against teens is a problem," said Schrader. "We have to address it."
By Jeffords, Shawn / The Observer
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