YWCA dating program for youths targets gender-based violence
Credit to Author: Kevin Griffin| Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2019 00:13:28 +0000
A new program by YWCA Metro Vancouver is aiming to reduce gender-based dating violence among teenagers.
It’s called Dating Safe. It started in November in two schools in Vancouver and Surrey as part of a national effort to approach gender-based violence as a public health issue.
Dating Safe starts with 13- and 14-year-olds in Grade 8. The same students will receive one-hour booster sessions in Grades 9 and 10.
Amy Foreman, the program coordinator, said working with young people is one way to help stop gender-based violence.
“Our goal we identified early on is to provide youths with the knowledge and skills to develop healthy relationships that are free from violence and abuse,” Foreman said.
An estimated 54 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced sexual coercion in a dating relationship, she said.
Dating Safe is designed to take into account youths who aren’t in a relationship and may not even be thinking about dating. It’s meant to get youngsters to think about the skills and knowledge they need when they enter a relationship.
The YWCA Metro Vancouver is one of 24 organizations across the country to receive $40 million in funding over five years from Public Health Agency of Canada to develop programs to address gender-based violence.
Gender-based violence includes violence against people based on their gender expression, gender identity, or perceived identity.
According to federal statistics, almost 50 per cent of people aged 15 and older who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual report experiencing physical or sexual abuse in childhood. For people who are heterosexual, 30 per cent experience physical or sexual abuse.
From June 3 to 6 next year, Vancouver will be the site for Women Deliver, which is described as the world’s largest conference on gender equality and the health, rights and well-being of girls and women. More than 6,000 people from around the world are expected to attend.
Dating Safe covers healthy relationship skills, gender stereotypes, communication skills, consent, social media and dating, dating violence, intoxication, and bystander intervention.
Foreman said the first year of the five-year program was spent gathering information and designing the program which runs until 2023.
The lived experience of youths has been included in the program through their involvement in focus groups.
“A lot of students are saying that this is not something they’re learning about,” she said.
The goal is for Dating Safe to be included in the curriculum of school districts.
“Our hope is that after doing this kind of pilot project over four years that schools will be able to pick it up and run with it,” Foreman said. “Public Health Agency of Canada has identified gender-based violence as a major health issue and something we need to tackle.”