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Learn to build the leadership skills and confidence to be able to recognize, interrupt, and prevent violence when you see it in your school community and in your daily life.

The Say Something Youth Initiative is Safe Passage’s violence prevention program for teens and offers opportunities for all students, faculty, and caregivers to get involved in culture change to support healthy relationships. 

Get Involved!

We want your input on how to help make your school community a place where all teens can experience safe and healthy relationships. We believe everyone has the ability to Say Something to create a safer community for all people! Because we can't do it without you, we are offering two different PAID ways for students to get involved in our program: Advisory Group and Summer Leadership Academy.

Join our Advisory Group!

Say Something Youth Initiative is seeking (PAID!) Fall Advisory Group members at Easthampton High! 

  • Attend a youth-only orientation to our Advisory Group, where you will explore your strengths, review group guidelines and group norms, and learn more about Advisory Group projects.
  • Participate weekly Advisory Group meetings after school.
  • Offer input and feedback that will guide Say Something Youth Initiative's programming at Easthampton High School.
  • Be an ambassador to other students, making sure they know how to get involved with the Say Something Youth Initiative and seek help if they need it.
  • Get paid for your time and your expertise!

We are now accepting applications for the Spring Advisory Group! Apply here. For more information view our flyer or email us at saysomething@safepass.org

Join our Summer Leadership Academy!

The Say Something Youth Initiative will be holding our third annual (PAID!) Leadership Academy during the Summer of 2023! Leadership Academy is a two-week opportunity for young leaders to:

  • Build community and learn about your leadership styles and strengths.
  • Build leadership skills and practice advocating for social change.
  • Practice effective boundary setting and assertive communication.

Check back in the Spring to complete an application for Summer Leadership Academy 2024! 

For more information, view our flyer. If you have questions, please email us at saysomething@safepass.org.

Support a Young Person In Your Life

For parents, caregivers, or other adults who are interested in joining our efforts to reduce teen dating violence and promote healthy relationships: here are some tips, tools, and resources. 

Take Action

Increase your own skills at recognizing, interrupting, and preventing interpersonal violence by joining our community Say Something LABs. For more information about upcoming virtual trainings, visit the Say Something Website.

Support young people in creating a safety plan for the first (few) date(s). Identify a person — a caregiver or trusted friend (if it’s a friend, they should have a caregiver’s number) — and share details about the person and date. Also discuss an ‘escape plan’ so your teen knows what to do if they feel uncomfortable on the date.

Talk to the teens in your life about relationships and be open and available for questions and support.

 

 

Talk to Teens

This shouldn’t be just one conversation. Have ongoing, non-judgemental talks using open ended questions. Let them know you’re willing (and happy) to talk anytime.

Use media to support your continued conversations, learn from the lived experiences of others, and discuss what to do in specific situations.

Discuss warning signs of unhealthy and abusive relationships. 

Understand how relationships look different (or the same) for teens. Learn about social media platforms and how technology and social media factor into healthy and unhealthy behaviors in teen relationships

Talk with them about dating safety.

Know the Resources

Love Is Respect has resources for youth to seek support (via call or chat) and learn about healthy relationships.

RESPECTfully is a Massachusetts campaign with resources, videos, and tools to help teens establish healthy relationships and adults who want to support the young people in their lives.

The Say Something Youth Initiative offers programming in our community and in collaboration with schools and youth serving organizations.

 

 

The Healthy Relationships Team

The Say Something Youth Initiative is supported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and continues the work started in 2019 with the launch of RESPECTfully, the state’s first prevention and awareness campaign in more than 20 years to promote positive, supportive relationships among youth in the Commonwealth. 

Through a partnership between Safe Passage, Community Action’s Workforce Development and Youth Programs, and the Easthampton High School, students at Easthampton High School will learn skills to notice, prevent, and safely intervene when they see behaviors that contribute to violence.

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TDVAM 2022 Wear Orange
Seven smiling individuals of various identities, each in their own zoom box, dressed in orange and holding their hands into the shape of hearts. The words "TDVAM2023 #BeAboutIt" in the bottom right corner and the logo for Say Something Youth initiative in the bottom left corner.