A group of local teens will be visiting Livingston County high schools this month to educate fellow youth about a prominent form of teen dating abuse.

LACASA Center’s Teen Advisory Council has launched this year’s campaign “Relationships Flourish in a Healthy Environment” designed to help teens understand the components of healthy relationships. LACASA’s Youth Prevention Services Coordinator Kayla Grant says the campaign features a garden theme to show teens that, “relationships blossom when people feel respected, trusted, valued and safe.”

This year’s program focuses on increasing awareness about the importance of healthy relationships and recognizing when a relationship is unhealthy. During the high school workshops, teens attend special programs and receive awareness literature, fliers, resource cards, stickers, and ink pens with the words respected, trusted, valued and safe. Grant says the workshops help students identify manipulative and harmful behaviors and lets teens know it is important to, “weed out toxic and controlling relationships.”

The Teen Advisory Council and members of LACASA’s Community Education Department conduct the dating awareness campaign at every high school in the county. A variety of student groups at each high school will assist with the campaign as volunteer ambassadors.

To learn more about the campaign, visit the link below. (JK)