The National Domestic Violence Hotline (2025) states one in ten high school students experiences some form of violence from an intimate partner. Domestic violence and relationship abuse in adolescence is often overlooked but has become a crisis in need of new prevention approaches. 

By uplifting and working with young people in our communities, we can work toward ending domestic violence before it occurs. Young people are often overlooked in conversations about change, yet they are crucial to creating a better future society. I am working with the organization Safe Passage, a nonprofit which supports survivors of domestic violence and relationship abuse. Their goal is to create a world free of relationship abuse and domestic violence. Safe Passage believes empowerment of individuals is crucial in ending domestic violence, and through empowerment, we can change society.

This service learning project empowers young people to make change in their community. The project includes ten after-school sessions working with a group of 7th and 8th graders from Hilltown Cooperative Charter School to promote healthy relationships, community building, strong communication, and conflict resolution skills. Focusing on the issues students identified, they are taught how to work with their administration to make change in their own school. The students learn they are capable of creating change in their own lives and community. Students learn the important role they play in creating positive social change.