Let's Talk About Integrating Youth Into Violence Prevention Programs!

In episode 2 of the Prevention Perspective, we speak with Monica and Diana of the Advocates in Hailey, Idaho! The Advocates' Every Teen Counts (ETC) program has been successfully leading youth-centered prevention work in Idaho for nearly a decade. Monica and Diana share with us some of their lessons learned and best practices for successfully integrating youth into violence prevention work!

If you or someone you care about have experienced domestic, dating or sexual violence please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or one of the WCA's 24-hour hotlines at 208-343-7025 or 208-345-7273.

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wcaboise.org
lovisrespect.org

To contact us, email prevention@wcaboise.org!

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Transcript

Narrator: 0:04

Welcome to the prevention perspective, a podcast dedicated to sharing information, ideas and resources about violence prevention work. The topics discussed in this podcast, including healthy relationships, prevention practices, and dating or sexual violence can be difficult, and we urge you to listen with care. Our hosts are not licensed counselors or mental health professionals. If you or someone you care about have experienced domestic, dating, or sexual violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. You can also find more resources in the description of this podcast.

Cory Mikhals: 0:44

Hi this is Cory Mikhals along with Tracy DeMarcus, and it is another episode of prevention perspective. Tracy, how are you today?

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 0:53

I'm great, Cory, how are you?

Cory Mikhals: 0:54

Wonderful. Now in the last one, we got to talk to a couple of the youth reps.

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 0:59

Yeah.

Cory Mikhals: 0:59

And talking about the youth program, and, how important that is in the prevention world in moving forward, capturing that youth and getting them mobilized to be able to continue that message.

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 1:13

Exactly. Yeah, they're really critical in the work that we do.

Cory Mikhals: 1:16

Now, when did the youth program get underway?

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 1:19

We started the youth rep program two years ago, and then we had kind of a soft trial of it a little bit before that. So but it's been going strong now for about two years.

Cory Mikhals: 1:32

Also, we have we have Diana and we have Monica. And Diana is our senior.

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 1:39

Yep. Diana is a senior with the ETC program, the advocates in Haley. And then Monica also works with, for the advocates.

Cory Mikhals: 1:48

working hard there in the Wood River Valley. Now we're going to start with Diana. Diana, you're you're a senior, you've got only a few months left. And so I, let me start by saying I am so sorry, your senior year fell in this pandemic that is going on. Are you holding up? Okay?

Diana: 2:07

It's definitely been difficult. But in a way, I am grateful for the opportunity that the school has given us to have four classes per semester. And that has really helped me a lot this academic year. It's definitely been hard, but it's been great. I've been trying to enjoy as much as I can.

Cory Mikhals: 2:34

With all of the restrictions that we have within that, Try and just enjoy. Enjoy this moment before It's time to go out into the real world. Now, what are your plans after high school?

Diana: 2:47

I plan to go to college. I am leaning towards going to Montana State University up in Bozeman, Montana. And I plan to double major in psychology and sociology.

Cory Mikhals: 3:01

Well look at you being all ambitious. That's awesome. Now, when when did you- When did you decide that was kind of the path that you wanted to take?

Diana: 3:09

Well, when I first started my high school career, I was really into science. And I saw that I would want to study forensic biology. Part of this job as an ETC intern with the Advocates, my desire to be a forensic biologist completely went out the door. And I really fell in love with the work that I was doing with the advocates and other work I was doing at school. And that's how it really like shifted for me and I really fell in love with psychology and different non-profits related to psychology and also sociology. So it's definitely been a journey, but I'm really happy with like the decision I'm going with.

Cory Mikhals: 3:55

Well, I think that is wonderful. And Monica. Now what could you tell us a little bit about the ETC program and the youth prevention work that you've been doing in the Wood River Valley?

Monica: 4:06

Yeah, so um, the Every Teen Counts or ETC. interns are a group of paid teen interns from across the Wood River Valley, and they're healthy relationship peer educators and influencers. And their goal is to inspire other teens to use their voice, stand up, speak out, and create positive cultural change. They do this primarily through peer education awareness campaigns and healthy relationship events.

Cory Mikhals: 4:34

How is the success? How's it been accepted within the teen population there?

Monica: 4:38

Well, it is in its eighth year, which is really kind of amazing. This is my second year supervising the program, but each year we have upwards of 20 applicants for usually five to six positions that are opening. So I would say pretty successful in at least being Kind of a cool place to work and a cool program that people want to be a part of.

Cory Mikhals: 5:03

Well, yeah, you're in some beautiful country. And it sounds like you're doing some amazing work as well.

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 5:08

And you have a great reputation around the state within other agencies and domestic violence programs, too. I think that speaks a lot to, to the work that you're doing.

Monica: 5:18

Thank you.

Cory Mikhals: 5:20

Well, now coming up next, we're going to get into talking about creating a successful youth program. Maybe if youre a nonprofit or an individual that is working with a nonprofit that would like to be able to have a successful youth program in prevention. Well, we're going to talk about some of that with Monica and Diana, I'm Cory, along with Tracy, and we will be right back with prevention perspective.

Narrator: 5:46

Is there a program, practice, or issue you'd like us to cover on this podcast? Do you want to share about the prevention work you've been doing? We are always looking for feedback, ideas and suggestions. If you'd like to make a suggestion, contact us today at the email in the description of this podcast.

Cory Mikhals: 6:09

And we're back with prevention perspective. I'm Cory along with Tracy, we have Monica and Diana with us on this podcast as well. And now, Monica, yours is one of the longest running youth led programs in the state. Eight years we were just talking about. You've been with them for a couple of years. Can you share any of the lessons learned with those of us who may not be as far along in our journey to integrate youth in our prevention programs?

Monica: 6:36

Yeah, definitely. And I'd say there's there's kind of two lesson categories. There's program lessons. And then also personal lessons as someone who's come into this program towards, Well, in the last two years, even though it's been running for about eight years. For program lessons, one key thing that is different now than before, when we started the program, is the hiring process is a peer to peer interview process. So we know that youth in our Valley know their peers better than we do. And we interview every student who applies. And the ETCS provide a lot of insight into who will be influential or who may thrive in the position. And at the same time, the peer to peer interview process is also a time to train the ETCS on hiring practices, how to hire youth with diverse lived experiences, across Ages, locations and social groups. So it really is both a training opportunity. And it's a huge opportunity to communicate to the youth that this is their program- really solidifies their ownership, I would say. Oh, absolutely.

Cory Mikhals: 7:47

Now, Tracy, what, what have you learned in the couple of years of the youth program here?

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 7:54

Um, I was just going to echo what Monica said in the peer to peer interview process. Like I said, we're only two years into our program now. And so this last year was really the first opportunity for us to have peer to peer interviews, similarly to what they do with the ETCS. And I can tell how big of a difference it made from the first year when our staff was kind of making selections,and and talking to the youth who applied versus this past year when he had our kind of second year, youth reps doing the interviews, and they just have a really, really great handle on, on who's going to be the right fit and for the difference that they want to make in the community. the passions that they have, and that sort of thing. I am curious to ask Diana, since you are youth voice in this episode today, what was your experience doing pure interviews? Did you have any challenges are any eye opening kind of interactions with your peers through that process?

Diana: 9:00

The whole process was a bit challenging this last year, just because there were so many great candidates that would be great for this program. But it was an amazing experience just to like, see people's intentions. And just to like, really, it was like a great opportunity to like see how much people really do care about this type of stuff. And it was great to hear different ideas. And it was overall just a really good experiences. Definitely a lot of people in this community who would be great for this opportunity.

Cory Mikhals: 9:37

Well, Diana, from your perspective, doing violence prevention work, why is it critical that it really, really center and involve young people in the process?

Diana: 9:49

Personally, When I grew up, I was surrounded by a lot of unhealthy relationships and I had father figures coming in and out of my Life. And I feel that in working towards this is important because I feel like they are the ones who might see this more. And since like, they're in like the high school age, like there's so many like unhealthy relationships at school sometimes. And it's really important to just like, show them like, hey, this isn't right, this is what you deserve. This is what other people deserve. And it's just a really important part of a community to hear teen's voices.

Cory Mikhals: 10:35

You know, we talked about this before in our first podcast, and it rings true in every situation, that young people being able to talk with other young people is going to get that message across. So much better. Not that adults don't care. We do. You know, and, but it's different when you hear that from a peer. And you know, you're not alone. And that's going to be something we talk about quite a bit because that, that feeling alone, that being so wrapped up in your situation, and the horrific things that possibly are going on around you, it's hard to think that anyone could understand what you were going through. You hear it from another peer, And then you start to understand that you're not alone. There's other people that are unfortunately going through those same challenges. So yes, it is vital to be able to have young people talking with young people, and truly being able to get through and, and have the best chance of being able to get someone to understand they deserve better.

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 11:47

Yeah, definitely. And I want to backtrack just a little bit, I think this will probably tie in to what Monica was talking about. As far as lessons learned, and adults working with youth, kind of the personal aspect of that. And I'm wondering if Monica, if you'd like to speak a little bit more to that kind of partnership,

Monica: 12:07

I've really learned that this work takes a lot of space and time, like I there's this term spaciousness that really is being used a lot with some of the prevention organizations in Idaho. And I think that means that you're allowing time for process, you're allowing time for community building, you're allowing time for making errors and figuring out ways to learn from errors. And so I feel like being an adult ally in the space and being the adult supervisor, my job is really to facilitate a safe space for to facilitate a creative space. And I think, yeah, I've learned that that just takes time. It's not something you can really kind of whip up. And that's been really great, because I think I've learned a lot from the young people that I work with, and the other adults who support me in my position, about creating community and really getting at the heart of violence prevention. So yeah, that's kind of where I'm at with that.

Cory Mikhals: 13:12

Great, well, coming up, we're going to talk about some of the best practices for youth prevention. So if you're just getting started with the youth prevention model, and are wondering, okay, where, where do we go from now? And from here? Well, we're gonna go over some of those best practices. Coming up next on prevention perspective.

Narrator: 13:33

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Every February young people, service providers, educators, and activists join together to raise awareness about dating violence. The theme for 2021 is'know your worth'. 'Know your worth' is all about learning about healthy relationships and self empowerment. Every young person is deserving of a healthy, loving relationships. For more information and awareness campaign resources, visit loveisrespect.org or access the Prevention Resource hub through our website, at WCAboise.org.

Cory Mikhals: 14:12

It is prevention perspective. I'm Cory along with Tracy, we have Monica and Diana with us as well. And now we're going to talk about some of the best practices for youth prevention. And Tracy here over these last couple of years in growing the youth rep program with the WCA. What are some of the things probably through you know, we all learn through failure? It's like, okay, that wasn't the best way to do that. What are some of the best practices and some of the pitfalls that you would tell people to avoid in going into a youth prevention program?

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 14:49

It's a great question, Cory. And I think you said it exactly. Like we learned a lot through things that didn't work. And I one of the biggest things and I'm really glad that Monica and Diana on the podcast today because when we very first started the youth rep program, theirs was the program that I looked to, to model ours after. And I kind of went into it with this idea of like, Okay, well, what works for the advocates will work for us. And even though like, they do some amazing things, and they shared so many different resources with me, and really kind of set me on the path to start a successful youth led prevention program. Our communities are really different. Our demographics are different, the youth that we work with, you know, they have different lived experiences. And and so I think one of the biggest things was to look to my colleagues and my peers in in this field for information and insight and advice, but not necessarily worry about duplicating exactly what works in the Wood River Valley for what works in the Treasure Valley. And that took, that took a little bit of time, that first year, we did a lot of, I feel like copycat sort of things to the ETC program. And, and some of it worked. And some of it just, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't the right fit for us. And so I'm, I'm grateful that I was able to go back to Monica and her predecessor, Heidi and be like, okay, I tried it, but it just didn't work here, like, do you have any other ideas or thoughts on how we can maybe adapt? And, and that was, I think one of the best things that I could have done is know that I can go back to them and, and brainstorm and, and modify as needed and, and really find something that works for us and for our community.

Cory Mikhals: 16:38

Well, in any type of prevention work. There, there is not a one size fits all there. There just isn't I mean, there are certain things that work in kind of general terms. But being able to Yes, talk with Monica, talk with other prevention specialists that have successful programs. And being able to look and this is important, make sure that you are reaching out to those folks. And it doesn't mean when I say one size does not fit all, it doesn't mean that you don't listen to what's worked there. But understand that it may or may not work in your area. The other thing is really to sit down with your your youth reps, your ETC, and be able to see they're the ones that know what they need, what they want. And so talking to them, so vital to be able to utilize what they think is going to work with the other teens in in your area.

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 17:38

Exactly.

Cory Mikhals: 17:39

All right now, Monica, for programs are adults that might want to work with youth, what is the most important thing for them to know?

Monica: 17:49

I think one key thing that I feel like is being reflected in Tracy's reflections- And also what this program has become- is really finding your Why. Why do you want to integrate youth? What exactly is the motivation? Diana I think spoke on this a little bit. But for us youth are so central to our prevention efforts, because they're most impacted by violence. by sexual assault. by dating violence. And ultimately, they are resources to each other. And so we couldn't really ignore it. And so I think knowing why you want youth involved and really taking a look at that, I think that can help guide your program and help you maybe answer some questions that are unanswerable. Or maybe when you're coming up with a new creative thing I can help guide you.

Cory Mikhals: 18:36

Diana, from your perspective, as a teen, what recommendations do you have for creating a successful and sustainable youth programs? What should people look at, in being able to get that started? and have it be successful?

Diana: 18:53

I feel that people really need to find teens who are really passionate about the work. And I feel like they, if you do want it to be youth lead that really make it youth lead, like really listen to what the teams have to say, because like we said before, like they are the ones who are seeing this, they are the ones who are experiencing this. And just like really make use like they can like, you'll be surprised to what a group of teens can do. And teens are powerful and create amazing things, to just let them flow with their ideas and let them talk and share their ideas. And that's what I would recommend.

Cory Mikhals: 19:42

Okay, well, I think that's some great advice. Absolutely. And Monica, what, as we come down to the end of our podcast here, what do you think is the biggest thing that you've learned in your couple of years with this program, There in the Wood River Valley?

Monica: 19:59

I think it's Two things, I think that facilitation is a really good skill to have when you're the adult supervisor, adult ally of a group of young people, helping learning tools to help them come to consensus to help structure productive conversations. And really, that's really only needed towards the beginning of when the group is getting together, you'll notice, as the year goes on, if you're doing your program on a year to year basis, that eventually they'll kind of get the groove and the structure and the norms you set will continue on. So I think that is one. And then my second one, I completely forgot. Oh, I remember coming into this. And Heidi, my predecessor, I was also the person who started this and I was finishing evaluations with the previous group, who had started with Heidi and were ending with me, and all the refresh reflections were just amazing. They were like, you know, we feel safe here. we feel that this work is really important. Like they were just giving high praises to the program. And I remember feeling a little bit like, Oh, my God, this is great. This is amazing. I have no idea how to recreate that. I don't know how to work this magic where students feel safe, they feel heard, and they feel like they have done something to prevent violence in their community. And after doing this for a couple of years, I realized that it's really kind of the small things, it's making time for people to check in. It's showing up for people continuing to build the network, that you're building and connecting the youth with opportunities that you have as an adult with social capital you may have. So I think that the other piece is the safety and connection building. That can happen as well.

Cory Mikhals: 21:51

Well, Monica, Diana, thank you so much for taking time and being here with us. And for all that you do on a daily basis.

Tracy Darling-DeMarcus: 21:59

Yeah, I was just gonna offer up anything else that you all would like to bring up or mention. Or if there's anywhere that we can find you on social media, follow you. That sort of thing. If you want to plug.

Monica: 22:14

I have one quick thing to add. Food is also really essential if you're going to be getting together with a group of people,

Cory Mikhals: 22:21

especially teens.

Monica: 22:26

Don't forget that and just little celebrations, too. We try to celebrate each other often. And I think that really helps, especially in a challenging year, like this year. Great. And then Diana, I don't know if you want to share where folks can follow the ETCS on Instagram.

Diana: 22:42

Yeah, they can follow us at @etcsthatadvocates I believe it is or the advocate ETConthe advocates Wonderful.

Cory Mikhals: 22:58

There we go. Yeah. All right. Well, Monica, thank you, Diana, best of luck with the rest of your senior year, enjoy every moment that you possibly can, despite all the pandemic stuff going on.

Diana: 23:12

Thank you.

Cory Mikhals: 23:13

And for our next prevention perspective, we're going to be talking about violence and LGBTQ and inclusive prevention practices. So we will be getting into that for our next prevention perspective. I'm Cory Mikhals, along with Tracy DeMarcus.

Unknown: 23:33

Thank you for listening to this episode of the prevention perspective. Again, if you or someone you know has experienced domestic dating or sexual violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or the WCA's 24 hour hotline at 208343 025. Don't forget to follow us n social media @WCA_Boise nd WCAyouth reps. If you have a y suggestions for top cs you would like us to cover, o if you'd like to get more in ormation about anything you' e heard in today's podcast, co tact us through the email p ovided in the description of he podcast.