A Growing Concern
Safe Relationships Start Here
Sistercare’s Teen Outreach Program (STOP) is a youth development program designed to build educational awareness in teens as it relates to healthy behaviors and relationships, life and leadership skills, and domestic violence. The purpose of this program is to equip teens with the information and skills they need to successfully navigate the challenges they face and to choose healthy relationships.
STOP promotes the positive development of teens through the use of interactive group discussions, guided presentations, positive adult guidance and support as well as community involvement and service learning.
STOP is designed to meet the healthy relationship needs of middle schoolers (6th-8th grades) and the healthy relationship and dating needs of high schoolers (9th-12 grades). Programmatic engagement takes place in a variety of settings, including: during school, in after-school programs and through partnerships with other community organizations. Curriculum topics include: Discussion of the Four Types of Abuse (physical violence, sexual violence, stalking and psychological violence); Problem-solving and Conflict Resolution; Health and Wellness; and Positive Body Images and Self-Esteem.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, approximately 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men who experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner first experienced some form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age. STOP is a comprehensive program designed to combat statistics of this nature and is striving to reach and educate young people in Sistercare’s five-county service area.
All Teen Outreach programming is FREE of charge.
Want to bring STOP to your school or organization?
What is Teen Abuse?
Teen dating violence includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
In today’s society, teen dating violence is a growing concern. In fact, surveys suggest that South Carolina teens are experiencing dating violence at a distressing rate. Sistercare encourages parents and educators to talk to our youth about the facts and signs of dating violence and to always be cognizant of their dating relationships.
Why these conversations are important…
According to the CDC’s 2023 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) 1 in 12 teens experience physical dating violence and about 1 in 10 experience sexual dating violence.
That same survey discovered that…
- 10.4% of High school students will experience physical dating violence.
- The CDC also notes that female students and LGBTQIA+ students report higher rates of dating violence than their peers.
The National Library of Medicine reports that approximately 50% to 75% of adolescents experience cyberbullying or digital dating abuse behaviors, including unwanted monitoring, direct aggression, or sexual coercion.
This is not a conversation we can afford to ignore with our youth. Sistercare’s STOP program exists to empower teens.
A Growing Concern
Signs that a teen is suffering from dating violence are:
- Worries all the time about making their romantic partner jealous.
- Apologizes for their dating partner’s behavior or makes excuses for them.
- Spends a lot of time with the person they are dating, but not with other friends.
- Casually mentions the dating partner’s violent behavior but laughs it off as a joke.
- Has unexplained injuries or the explanations don’t make sense.
- Gets constant texts or calls from their romantic partner.
- Changes their behavior, clothing, academic goals, or friendships.
- Gives up hobbies or activities that were once enjoyed.