Program Highlight: Be Project

Be Project is our domestic violence education program that reaches out to middle school, high school and college students to teach them about healthy relationships. The Be Project’s main goal is to educate students, parents and the community about teen dating violence and domestic violence. Last year, we reached 7,812 students with our programs.

Unfortunately, Dallas has a high domestic violence and teen dating violence rate, so this program is crucial to help end the cycle of domestic violence in our community. Nearly 1 in 3 teens who have been in relationships have experienced serious forms of dating violence or abuse.

Each semester the Be Project educators are assigned four schools to work with as part of a ten-week program. There are roughly 30 to 40 kids per classroom and educators teach multiple classes at each school. Our educators create tailored presentations for every classroom that are relevant to the needs and personalities of the students.
Be Project educators also actively reach out to the community by speaking at school lunches and attending football games.

The key to the program is consistency. Be Project’s curriculum, just like Math or Literature, builds upon the lesson of the previous class to create a solid foundation in helping end the cycle of family violence. An educator missing a class not only throws off the lesson plan, but also the students and the progress that has been made. 
  
“Be Project is here not just to help students, but also to support the community. We are a resource to prevent issues and answer any questions people may have,” says Jackie, one of our educators.

Jackie’s favorite part of being an educator is the relationships she builds with the students. The connections she creates, whether for ten weeks or one day, are incomparable and genuine. As Jackie says, “the youth personally make my day. I can see the kids be themselves and share their intelligent and funny insights in the classroom. The students and I have a reciprocal respect for each other based on shared experiences.”