RAVE (Resources Against Violent Encounters)
The mission of RAVE is to break the cycle of relationship violence by facilitating change through prevention education, awareness, and advocacy. To accomplish this goal, RAVE utilizes a research-based violence prevention curriculum with a focus on peer education. This program is facilitated by trained professionals and used to educate adolescents about dating violence, sexual harassment and assault, the media’s influence on stereo-typing, and how to build healthy relationships.
The purpose of this curriculum is to:
- Prevent youth from resorting to acts of violence, coercion, and/or abuse by teaching healthy boundaries, communication and conflict resolution skills.
- Educate youth who have begun to exhibit signs of abuse and/or violence within their own interpersonal relationships
RAVE offers this program free to schools and after-school or summer programs serving youth 12-19 years of age. Each of the 8 interactive sessions lasts for about an hour.
Request RAVE Programming
RAVE funding provided in part by:
- Nokomis Foundation
- United Way
- Grand Rapids Community Foundation
- Private Donors
RAVE Community Partners
- Kent County Domestic Violence Coordinated Community Response Team
- Kent County Sexual Assault Task Force
- The Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
- Grand Rapids Central City Weed and Seed
- Youth Development Network
Stats
- 71.7 % of participants plan on using the information that was presented to them during RAVE programming
- 86.7% of participants reported an increase in knowledge on the cycle of violence
- 67.8% of participants reported an increase in knowledge on the three different types of abuse.
- Nearly 60% of participants can list three different ways to solve a disagreement non-violently.
Participant Testimonials
"Violence comes in many forms and it's not right. No one deserves it and you should tell someone if it happens to you."
"Our RAVE instructor worked well with us and treated us like young adults, not kids."
"I learned things about sexual harassment that I didn’t know about before and thought it was very informational, maturely handled and useful."
RAVE Facilitator Testimonials:
"The program teaches teens skills that are not typical subjects learned in school. These are skills that encourage healthy, appropriate dating; skills that can prevent sexual assault; skills that can change the way our teens view and behave with the opposite sex. These kids have so many questions about dating. During presentations, their faces express such eagerness to soak in what is presented."
"Students enjoy the diversity in the RAVE presentations, the relevant content of the materials and the opportunity to talk about issues that so closely affect their lives. In fact, a great number of students have pulled me aside following a presentation with additional questions because the topic of relationship violence has hit so close to home for them."
"Most students have an idea of what type of dating relationship they want to have, but don’t have concrete ways of expressing it. It is very exciting to see the students really think for themselves and express, question and react in healthy ways to the RAVE material."