Youth Outreach + Education - First Step - Wayne County's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Comprehensive Agency

ENGAGING WITH YOUTH

First Step loves working with and presenting to children and teens, and does so in a plethora of ways! We enjoy having active discussion, utilizing fun visuals and videos, and other handcrafted activities that hone in on children and teens experiences with dating violence and sexual assault in our modern day society and culture (i.e. through social media, music, movies and television, etc.).

A large part of First Step's mission to end domestic and sexual violence is focused on engaging and educating our youth. Programs presented to children and teens are done so in an age-appropriate manner and are designed to raise awareness and provide information on how our culture, gender roles, and expectations influence dating violence and sexual assault. Youth can also learn about resources, risk reduction strategies, and bystander intervention.

All programs listed can be adjusted to meet the topic and scheduling needs of school and non-school groups. This includes girl and boy scout troops, religious, cultural, and community groups, athletic and hobby teams, etc. If a program or topic that you are looking for is not found below, special accommodations may be discussed to see if First Step has the capacity and are the best fit.

First Step finds it extremely important to talk to teens about the spectrum of healthy to unhealthy to abusive relationships and consent. This teen-focused program explores the different types of abuse tactics commonly found in teen dating violence and sexual assault, including digital abuse, online harassment or bullying, isolation, sexual coercion, shaming, and substance abuse. Requestor can ask for one topic such as teen dating violence or sexual assault to be focused on rather than both. Depending on length of time allotted, will allow for different activities and depth of conversations. Our advocates use this interactive, multi-media presentation to educate teens on how to safety plan, support themselves or others, distinguish healthy relationship patterns, and ask for consent.

Audience: Great for adolescents, teens, and young adults 11 to 24 years old; catered to age group

Scheduling: Class sized audience preferred and can be offered back-to-back to classes; Can be provided assembly style

Timeframe: 45 to 90 minutes

The Keeping Kids Safe (KKS) program discusses family violence in an age-appropriate manner. It teaches children how to emotionally and physically safety plan, identify safe adults to talk to, and have healthy anger expression. It follows an anti-bullying curriculum through talking about how to treat others. Our advocates prefer to provide this program through a two-day (one-hour each, per classroom) presentation, though other accommodations can be made. This program works best with classroom-size audiences as the presentation is highly interactive, including pre and post-tests, videos, multiple books, and lots of discussion with the children.

Audience: Great for children 5 to 11 years old; catered to age group

Scheduling: Class sized audience preferred and can be offered back-to-back to classes; Can be provided assembly style

Timeframe: 1 to 2 hours

My Body Belongs to Me! is a program that helps children understand the rights to their body, create an emotional and physical safety plan that includes identifying safe grown-ups to talk to, practice emotion regulation and coping skills, and know the difference between good secrets and bad secrets. This program emphasizes the importance of knowing that abuse is never the child’s fault in an engaging, interactive way through using a variety of resources and content.

Audience: Great for children 5 to 11 years old; catered to age group

Scheduling: Class sized audience preferred and can be offered back-to-back to classes; Can be provided assembly style

Timeframe: 30 to 60 minutes

ADULT PROGRAMS + OTHER ENGAGEMENTS

Visit our other pages to learn about other types of presentations and training topics we have available for request. For information the bureau and different types of engagements, visit this this page.

REQUESTING A FIRST STEP SPEAKER OR REPRESENTATIVE

If you are interested in scheduling with First Step's Speakers Bureau, or otherwise requesting First Step representation, please include any relevant information and contact us at communityservices@firststep-mi.org. We encourage at least a month's notice due to the popularity of requests.