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Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action

November 11, 2021
WHY RULES MATTER IN THE MODERN DATING GAME
PESA’s presentation on healthy relationships is critical for teens navigating a rapidly changing rite of passage
No matter what era you grew up in, chances are you look back at teenage dating and relationships with a certain amount of trepidation. Sure, it may represent an exciting time of growth and new experiences, but it undoubtedly also conjures feelings of self-doubt, awkwardness—and likely rejection.

Flash forward to today’s teens and you’ll need to add such complicating factors as online dating, social media, navigating the brave new world of the LGBTQ+ scene … the list goes on. It’s enough to make a kid want to bury his or her head under a pillow until their teens have passed!
That’s why PESA has created an educational module called Healthy Relationships, and it was presented recently to students in grades 9-12 at Los Angeles Leadership Academy. Intended to serve as an interactive discussion, the program covers topics such as: 



  • What does healthy dating look like?
  • LGBTQ+ dynamics
  • Navigating rejection
  • Building and respecting boundaries
  • Personal freedoms and autonomy in relationships
  • Red flags and green flags
  • How to advocate for yourself and others

And lest you think it’s simply a light-hearted look at how to get a date and are perhaps wondering why this is even a topic for school, consider the following from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey and National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence survey:
  • Nearly 1 in 11 female and approximately 1 in 14 male high school students report having experienced physical dating violence in the last year.

  • About 1 in 8 female and 1 in 26 male high school students report having experienced sexual dating violence in the last year.

  • 26% of women and 15% of men who were victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime first experienced these or other forms of violence by that partner before age 18.

PESA believes it’s important to reach teens early before negative behaviors take hold, to teach them about healthy and unhealthy relationships, how to set boundaries and how to safely engage in things like online dating. These are issues that schools are not equipped to deal with, but such knowledge is essential to the healthy development of well-rounded individuals and, based on the aforementioned sobering stats, may avert violence—or even save a life down the road.

If you’d like to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us