Understanding and Preventing Sexual Violence

Gr 7 Up—Navigating the world of dating relationships can be difficult enough for teenagers, but the rising rate of sexual violence can make this world more confusing and scarier than ever. Created by the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, this program tackles five major issues: gender stereotypes, sexual harassment, dating violence, sexual assault, and media safety. Each problem is explored in a brief video clip where teenagers act out various aspects of the topic. The scenarios, while overly scripted with somewhat too-good-to-be true endings, show how common teenage behaviors may be seen under the lens of sexual violence. Each vignette builds upon the next, making a complete story and showing how one seemingly innocent action, like admiring someone's body or sending a provocative text, can have far-reaching and unintended consequences. The 90-page teacher's guide is the key to pulling together all the information and making the program a useful teaching tool. Educators will find lessons, definitions of key terms, facts, video discussion questions, activities to further illustrate the lesson, frequently asked questions, and a page of resources for each topic. This video can be a valuable addition to a health or social skills curriculum if the educator utilizes the tools provided in the teacher's guide and doesn't rely solely on the video clips.—Amanda Rollins, Northwest Village School, Plainville, CT