Leading the Way

Safe Dates Training

Unwanted touching. Being grabbed, hit, slapped or otherwise physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend. Being forced to have unwanted sexual intercourse.

These are not problems confined to college-age or older people. As many as 36% of 9^th grade females in South Dakota report enduring some form of physical harassment – 15% of them responded “yes” when asked if they had ever been physically forced to have sexual intercourse. Boys are also victimized; 15% of 11^th grade males in South Dakota acknowledged they had been somehow physically hurt on purpose by the person they were dating. Up to 9% of high school males say they, too, have been forced to have sex. (Statistics from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2009)

Sometimes, people don’t realize that date rape and other dating violence is a crime – the same as stranger rape or assault. That is why Prairie View Prevention Services, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the Safe Dates Curriculum Implementation Training.

Safe Dates, an Adolescent Dating Abuse Prevention Curriculum, can be used as a dating abuse prevention tool. It is the only evidence-based curriculum that prevents dating abuse. SAMHSA has designated Safe Dates as a Model Program, and in 2006 it was selected for the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). It received high ratings on all criteria for strength of evidence and ease of replication.

Safe Dates curriculum fits well into health education, family life skills or general school curriculum. Alcohol and other drug use are often present in dating abuse, and dating abuse is many times a factor in alcohol and other drug use. This program is well suited as a component of drug and alcohol prevention programs.

During the SDAAPP Fall Conference at the Highland Convention Center in Mitchell, South Dakota, participants will learn how to implement Safe Dates at their schools. Kevin Ringhofer, Ph.D., certified Safe Dates trainer from Hazelden Treatment Center will provide the training, designed for counselors, social workers, prevention specialists, educators and school administrators. All the material necessary to put the program into action is included in the Safe Dates binder, provided free with the training. Other local educators may then be trained to conduct classrooms in their schools.

Safe Date Training details:

v Part of the SDAAPP Fall Conference
v September 16, 2010, 8:30AM-4PM
v Limited to 25 participants
v Highland Convention Center, Mitchell, South Dakota
v Cost: $75 for the day, including the training, meals and curriculum binders.
Note: A limited number of scholarships are available. To qualify, you must be attending the SDAAPP Fall Conference for this training only.
v CEUs Available: 2.75 CBADP, 2.75 Board of Counselor Examiners, 2.75 Social Work Examiners

Safe Dates Curriculum Implementation Training is sponsored by Prairie View Prevention Services, Inc. and the Coalition for a Drug-Free South Dakota. It is supported by the South Dakota Department of Human Services – Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the South Dakota Department of Health – Office of Family Health.