As students and teachers wrap another school year to enjoy the summer off, service clubs in the Valley are joining forces to prepare to deliver an important program in the fall.
The Rotary Club of Strathcona Sunrise, in partnership with Cumberland Centennial Rotary Club, Soroptomist International, and the Comox Valley Community Foundation, will fund the SafeTeen Violence Prevention program for all Grade 9 students in School District 71 in the 2012/2013 school year.
SafeTeen is an internationally acclaimed Violence Prevention program that has been endorsed by school districts, teachers' federations, psychologists, health professionals and parenting experts worldwide.
This program, embraced by teens and praised by educators and parents, provides a unique assertiveness model and violence-prevention language that can be integrated into school and family culture.
Utilizing a dynamic and experiential teaching style, SafeTeen addresses adolescents on their own level, working with issues that are relevant to their everyday lives. The program gives youth concrete skills to deal with verbal violence, emotional violence, sexual assault and threats of physical violence.
“[We are] committed to making this important program happen this fall as there is such a need for this kind of well-established intervention with our teens, and the need is now," says says Lynn Brandon, president of the Rotary Club of Strathcona Sunrise.
"Given the tragedies in our district over the past year and the other serious issues of bullying, self-esteem, drug abuse, etc., SafeTeen will be a valuable learning opportunity for students in the Comox Valley.”
School District 71 has committed to sponsoring a number of school counsellors, youth workers, and school liaison officers to observe the program as it is delivered to the Grade 9 students. Once assessed, some staff members can consider attaining professional development training to become local trainers.
For more information, visit safeteen.ca, or contact Tanya Harmon of the Rotary Club of Strathcona Sunrise at 250-898-7728 or onedropofhope@gmail.com.
— Rotary Club of Strathcona Sunrise