Empower RVA Teens

A Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program

YWCA Happy Teen Boy And Girl

Empower RVA Teens is YWCA Richmond’s Teen Peer Education program. This program is a student-led, community-service leadership opportunity for local high school-aged teens. It aims to prevent teen dating violence and sexual assault by empowering teens to teach their peers about healthy relationships, teen dating violence, sexual violence, and consent. Empower RVA Teens is a program by teens for teens. Participants drive the focus of the group and help make decisions to improve the program.

Empower RVA Teens is a program that runs from August 2023-May 2024.  We will open applications for the 2024-2025 school year in Spring 2024.

If you have questions about Empower RVA Teens or want to learn more, please contact Sam Mickey at smickey@ywcarichmond.org or 804.643.6761 ext 153.

Let Me Know When the 2024-2025 Empower RVA Teens Application Opens!

Request a Teen Peer Facilitator

Our Teen Peer Facilitators are high schoolers who have attended a 16-hour certification program where they learn about healthy relationships, teen dating violence, and facilitation techniques. If you are interested in having one of our Teen Peer Facilitators or a YWCA staff member come to speak to your club, organization, or group, please fill out our Speaker Request Form.

You may contact Robin Sawyer at rsawyer@ywcarichmond.org or 804.643.6761 ext 150 for more information and scheduling questions.

Speaker Request Form
community workshops

Program Details

Teens will have the opportunity to:

  • Learn about important issues
  • Gain public speaking and facilitation skills
  • Facilitate workshops for peers
  • Lead events throughout the year

Teens will learn about:

  • Teen dating violence
  • Sexual violence
  • How to support a friend who is in an abusive relationship
  • Healthy relationships
  • Healthy sexuality
  • Cultural awareness, consent, gender stereotypes, and their effects on relationships
  • Youth activism and social justice

Topics We Address:

  • Teen Dating Violence Awareness: Teaching teenagers about the dynamics of teen dating violence and how to help a friend involved in an abusive relationship. Also, teaching parents how to have conversations with their teens about these often challenging topics.
  • Bullying Awareness and Prevention: Provide children and teenagers the opportunity to learn about the dynamics of bullying, how to respond when they witness bullying, and a space to discuss how their community is affected by bullying.
  • Healthy Relationships for Teens: Provide teenagers a space to explore what they want from a relationship and healthy ways to resolve conflict when in one.
  • Creating an “Upstander” Community: Bystander Intervention: Provide a space to engage in a dialogue and participate in activities about bystander intervention and how to become an “upstander” or someone who intervenes safely and appropriately when they believe someone is in danger.

News and Resources for Teens & Prevention

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Why I Joined Empower RVA Teens

Why I Joined Empower RVA TeensWritten by Russell Bascomb III In America, the minority experience in hospital settings often deviates from the…