Teens Share Stories Of Abuse To Help Peers

High school students at the Patriot Learning Center are sharing their personal stories of abusive relationships to help their peers.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, so students have been handing out literature and organizing assemblies to get their classmates talking about the issue.

Sarah Seitz is a senior at the Patriot Learning Center. She told fellow students about a previous relationship in which she was mentally and emotionally abused.

“I thought there was no one there to help me and I was stuck,” said Seitz. “I was scared. I was alone and then I finally realized through some friends that this is abuse and that it’s not OK.”

She said many students may feel more connected to the issue through music, so she performed songs with a classmate on Wednesday morning.

Another classmate also shared a story of physical abuse. She said she had been in an abusive relationship for years and was stabbed.

Teachers said they have focused on different types of abuse and hope that students will talk to their families and friends about unhealthy relationships.

Susie McPherson is a social studies teacher at the school. She has been helping students organize events and said she hopes more schools will follow their lead.

“If people out there would open their eyes and open their hearts, we would be a lot further along in stopping domestic violence at any level,” said McPherson.

There are posters hanging all around the school about resources that students can turn to for help, including organizations such as TESSA and Safe2Tell.

For more information on TESSA, click here.

For more information on Safe2Tell, click here.