Community of Character Violence in Dating Relationships OPHEA Grade 8 Personal Safety & Injury Prevention Sub-Task #3

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1 Title of Unit: Significant Question: Character Traits: Experience(s): Community of Character Violence in Dating Relationships OPHEA Grade 8 Personal Safety & Injury Prevention Sub-Task #3 What is dating violence and what are my responsibilities in a relationship? Acceptance Appreciation Cooperation Empathy Fairness Integrity Optimism Perseverance Respect Responsibility Naming the Violence 1. Divide the class into six to eight groups. Provide the following definition of violence to the students. Violence is any mean word, look, sign or act that hurts a person s body, feelings or things (Remboldt, 1994). Distribute the abusive/violence/statement cards (see Unit 1 Appendix G) and the violence headings: physical, sexual, financial and psychological (see Unit 1 Appendix H). Instruct the groups to place the statement cards into one of the corresponding headings. The groups may post their answers on the wall. Briefly take up the answers. Sum up by stating that violence takes many forms and that it is very difficult to say that one form is less important or less serious than another form. Forms of interpersonal violence will be examined over the next few sub-tasks: dating violence, gang violence, and coping with cliques. What is Dating Violence? 2. Provide the following introduction to dating violence: Most relationships that teenagers have with other people are healthy and supportive. There is mutual respect, equality, understanding, and acceptance. However, some teenagers find themselves in relationships that don t make them feel good. They may even be getting physically hurt. Research indicates that one in ten female high school students may be experiencing violence in their dating relationships. Most teen dating violence goes unreported outside the peer group. One quarter of these incidents is never disclosed, even to peers. Violence in the dating relationship means there is abuse happening. We can define abuse as the use of physical, verbal and sexual behaviour to control and maintain power over another human being. A person who is experiencing violence in a dating relationship is a victim of abuse by a partner who is jealous and controlling. Give the students the Power and Control Wheel (see Unit 1 Appendix I). Ask them to give examples using the headings in the wheel of how a partner may be abusive in a dating relationship. Make sure you can provide examples for each of the spokes of the wheel (see Unit 1 Appendix I for examples). 3. Introduce examples of abuse in a dating relationship by using the overhead transparency Teens Speak About Dating Violence (see Unit 1 Appendix J). As an option, show the recommend video or another video on dating violence to the students. 4. For homework, students answer the following questions:

2 List Responsibilities of Each Person in a Dating Relationship. What Can a Person Do if She s/he s in an Abusive Relationship? What Can a Person Do if She/He is being Abusive? How Can you Help a Friend in an Abusive Relationship? What Services are Available to Help Teenagers in Abusive Relationships? The following chart summarizes possible responses to questions. In a dating relationship, I have the responsibility to... If I am being abused in dating relationship, I... If I am being abusive in dating relationship, I... Deepening Question(s): determine my limits, respect the limits of others, communicate clearly and honestly, not violate the limits of others, ask for help when I need it, be considerate, but not submissive or aggressive. I can help a friend by... listening and assuring her that I believe her story, telling her that she did not deserve to get hurt, not judging her, encouraging her to get help from an adult she trusts, knowing the facts, asking her how she s doing from time to time. am not the only one it happens to, am not to blame, don t deserve to be abused, can leave the relationship, can talk to someone I trust, keep telling my story until someone believes me. Where can a person go to get help... Kids Help Phone (Note: provide students with pamphlets about available services in the local community. Group task would also involve specifying how community resources can be assessed). am accountable for my actions, my partner didn t make me hit her, feeling sorry and apologizing is not enough, I am responsible for the violence, can get support and help to change my behaviour. See additional sub-tasks from this unit in OPHEA Grade 8 Personal Safety & Injury Prevention Blackline Masters: Resources: Abusive/Violent Statement Cards Violence Headings Are You Affected By Dating Violence? OPHEA Grade 8 Personal Safety & Injury Prevention

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