PULLMAN, Wash. A violence prevention initiative to promote healthy dating relationships among college-age women and men at Washington State University has received a $10,000 grant from the beauty and fashion boutique mark.
Women ages 16-24 experience the highest rates of partner violence and dating abuse, which affects millions of people and often results in physical and emotional injuries and even death.
|
Facilitator training May 10-13 Green Dot is a program designed to teach people how to identify and safely intervene in instances of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking. Grant funding will support the training of student facilitators. A four day student facilitator training is scheduled for May 10-13. The session will be conducted by Green Dot program developer Dorothy Edwards. It is open to all interested WSU students. Learn more and register online at
http://greendot.wsu.edu/training. |
According to spring 2010 National College Health Assessment data, 2.1 percent of female WSU students reported experiencing a sexual assault within the past 12 months. In addition, 7.8 percent of female students reported experiencing stalking and 2.5 percent reported experiencing a sexually abusive intimate relationship.
The grant to the Green Dot WSU program will support educator training, materials and support sessions about healthy relationships. Peer educators will provide preventive education on dating abuse and violence, sexual assault, harassment and stalking. They will promote healthy relationships, offer local resources and provide referrals for community-based domestic violence experts.
The grant is part of the m.powerment by mark. Healthy Relationship Peer Educator Program, which is managed by the Avon Foundation for Women through its Speak Out Against Domestic Violence initiative. This is the first year WSU has received funding from the m.powerment program.
The grant is one of 23 from the program, which totaled nearly $220,000 awarded to colleges nationwide to fund a network of dating peer educators on college campuses.
According to the National Dating Abuse Helpline, one in three girls in a serious relationship has been concerned about being physically hurt by her partner. While strides have been made in the fight against this abuse, many victims will not get the support they need.