Project PAVE – Walking the Talk with a core value of Positive Youth Development: Youth and Adult Partnership

While Project PAVE’s work focuses on empowering youth to end the cycle of relationship violence, one of PAVE’s core values is inclusivity of youth through adult partnerships and positive development opportunities. Being true to this value of youth inclusivity has led PAVE to restructuring its programs so that all youth in the communities they serve are afforded opportunities to get connected and to contribute.

In the fight to end relationship violence, it’s important to realize that this issue impacts us all in one way or another, which is why PAVE is deeply intentional about providing services that include the needs of all youth. For youth who have experienced some sort of trauma relating to relationship violence, whether that is direct victimization or exposure, PAVE has an intervention program that provides a full-time school based counselor in partnering schools. These counselors meet regularly with the students on their case loads in order to support them in recovery and positive development. PAVE also has a family advocate that connects with families who are in need of support in their partnering schools. Connecting youth and families with these intervention services through the school partnership model is how PAVE sees their greatest impact on the community coming to fruition, which is why PAVE decided to eliminate the therapy clinic at their office in 2013.

While aware that not all youth and families are in need of intervention services, PAVE also offers prevention services in and outside of the partner schools (partner schools are required to incorporate the prevention services). The foundation of these prevention services is PAVE’s “Path to Healthy Relationships” curriculum, which is presented in middle and high schools throughout the Denver Metro area. This curriculum focuses on engaging students in critical conversations around the dynamics of abuse and healthy relationship, while tying it all together with relevant games and visualizations. These classes also serve as a platform to connect individuals in need with intervention services (school social worker or psychologist in non-partner schools). During these classes there are often individuals who are passionate about the issue of ending relationship violence and would like to get more involved, which is why PAVE created the opportunity for students to lead clubs called Choose Respect and get involved in the Youth Community Educators Program (YCEP). Choose Respect club is a platform for students to creatively promote healthy relationships and spread awareness about teen dating violence, and all that’s needed to start this club is a staff sponsor at the school. YCEP is an opportunity for high school students in the Denver Metro area to apply and go through a professional hiring process; once hired, youth receive 20 hours of training before they qualify to present throughout the community. Involvement in these prevention programs often lead youth to support PAVE as adults and to seek careers in the human service filed.

Through this intervention and prevention model, PAVE continues to recognize the power of youth voice, while realizing how important it is for adults and youths to be in close collaboration while serving the needs of youths.