Crisis Center North School & University Programming
CCN‘s Violence Prevention Programming has provided school-based, interactive and informational programming to prevent relationship violence and promote healthy dating relationships to students for over 20 years. School districts, colleges and universities, and programs providing service to young adults, youth and children are eligible to receive programming. Throughout the past five years, the program has averaged 13,000 contacts with young women and men per year.
Program Offerings Include:
- Developing Healthy Relationships with Ourselves and Others, which focuses on students acquiring knowledge; examining attitudes; and having positive changes in behavior in regard to violence and relationships. The program focuses on student stress, self-esteem, conflicts, bullying, media-technology, and relationships. Schools are able to select using the entire 21-session program or select pieces that fit their needs.
- Peer-to-Peer, which has students participate as peer educators, providing information on dating violence or associated topics. Peer educators are trained and then supported as they create projects or conduct presentations at area school districts to promote social justice. Students are acknowledged at a spring luncheon each year, where they are able to highlight their work and further educate their peers.
- Coaching Boys into Men, engages young men in taking accountability for violence against young women. Its purpose is to guide middle and high school coaches to talk to their male athletes about stopping violence against women and girls. The program’s goals include: increased youth knowledge of what constitutes abusive behaviors, increased positive gender attitudes among youth, and increased number of youth who intervene when witnessing disrespectful behaviors.
A highlight of each of Crisis Center North’s programs is its curricular focus on optimistic bias. Optimistic bias offers an explanation as to why some individuals believe that they are less likely to be a victim of crime than others. The Center is the first to utilize this concept in not only a non-profit setting, but in violence prevention work. Gathered through a collaborative research relationship with Dr. John Chapin and Penn State University, survey results summarized Northern and Western Allegheny County students’ attitudes on violence. Crisis Center North’s program has been proven to lower students’ optimistic bias levels. Findings indicate that not only do students understand the concepts presented, but they are more likely to act on the information that they receive when they believe it is possible that they could be a victim of domestic violence.
Through Crisis Center North’s program, students become aware of healthy lifestyles and the availability of community support. Contact Crisis Center North’s Prevention Educator at 412-364-6728 for school-based programs.
