According to the Center for Disease Control, one out of four males will experience an abusive relationship, whereas the statistic for females is one out of three. In the United States, 80,000 people are murdered every year by their significant other. With an enrollment of about 1,180 students, 196 female students and 147 male students at Walpole High School are at risk of experiencing a form of dating violence in their lives. However, Walpole High School is working on creating awareness to minimize the potential of abuse in relationships.
"Some kids are totally oblivious to domestic violence. Other kids have a front row [seat.] They're either watching domestic violence occur in their home, or they might be in a dating relationship that is not very healthy," said Marie Doherty, Walpole High School's adjustment counselor.
Over the last few months, Doherty and Chief John Carmichael have given the Walpole Community a chance to speak out on dating violence in a safe environment through town forums and a teenage training program within Walpole High School called Youth Speaks. On Feb. 28, Dr. Malcolm Astley, the Wayland father of a teen murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2011, encouraged the community to engage in conversations early on about preventing unhealthy relationships. In addition, Jen Bolton, the Senior Manager of Education and Prevention at Domestic Violence Ended (DOVE), trained sophomores, juniors, and seniors as peer educators during an in-school field trip on Feb. 15. In March, these peer educators visited freshman health classrooms to further raise awareness about this topic.
"Catching people as young as possible to start talking about what [negative relationships] look like is really important, and also providing a safe space for people to ask questions and reflect on their own experiences is really important," said Alexandra Libstag, a social worker intern.
During the training session on Feb. 15, Bolton trained 17 sophomores, 10 juniors, and 4 seniors to become qualified leaders through DOVE Youth Speaks. The program ran for five hours, and consisted of interactive, as well as formative activities that allowed peer leaders in training to have respectful conversations with each other in regards to their overall knowledge of dating violence.
“[High school] is the time that relationships really start, so if you have a good understanding about it today, then it can spawn throughout your adult life,” said sophomore Christopher Reilly.