Where do I go for help? Using the resources of the Internet to get answers

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Talking to parents of adolescents today often includes the lament that “We just don’t know what to do, we never experienced this kind of problem when we were kids." Today’s youth face a host of problems that their parents never had to deal with while they were growing up. The most obvious example is the almost total integration of the Internet into the daily life of kids. Even for kids who don’t have their own personal computer or smartphone, schools, libraries, and friends with access provide opportunities to gain entry to the Web. This single change has delivered unparalleled access to information as well as some unanticipated problems such as the ability to post detailed personal and family information, cyber-bullying, and the possibility of exposure to Internet predators to name just a few.

Start Strong Innovations — A Photo Gallery

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Eleven Start Strong community projects have been up and running now for nearly two years. At a May 3-4 meeting in Atlanta, members got to share with each other the most innovative and effective programs they’ve come up with to help middle school students learn about healthy relationships and how to avoid potentially violent ones. We wrote about that meeting and the Start Strong national initiative on May 6.  

But here’s a look at six innovative programs, all developed at the local level, that we found particularly interesting.  

Keep It Strong song and dance

“Middle school teens love interaction, as well as entertainment, but they also value learning from older teens,” writes Jacqueline Davis of Start Strong Atlanta.

Start Strong Shares Ideas to Stop Dating Violence Before it Starts

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Sometimes the solution to a very big problem is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. That’s the theory behind Start Strong, a national program designed to defeat teen-dating violence by helping middle-school kids learn how to avoid unhealthy relationships. “I didn’t even know I was in an abusive relationship,” says Nija Nelson, who says her former boyfriend yelled at her and called her names. “Most teens don’t recognize the other kinds of abuse besides physical abuse. Start Strong helped me realize that the relationship I was in was unhealthy.”

Now, Nija is an Atlanta high school senior and a Start Strong “Youth Leader” who talks to middle school kids about teen-dating violence.