Increasing Student Awareness through Prevention Education
May 21, 2024
Introducing New Community Support Groups for Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence in English and Spanish
May 23, 2024As we enter May, CSN celebrates the dedication and contributions of the graduating Peer Advocates who have been instrumental in promoting positive change within our community.
Peer Advocate Scholarship Winner: Sophie Stoessel
We are thrilled to announce Sophie Stoessel as the recipient of this year’s Peer Advocate Scholarship. Sophie, a graduating senior, has played a pivotal role in the achievements of our Peer Advocates this year. Her dedication and commitment to creating a safer, kinder community for survivors of sexual assault and teen dating violence have been exemplary, as have her efforts to promote preventative education. Sophie has demonstrated exceptional courage as an advocate, including participating in a school assembly to address tough questions about healthy relationships and sexual assaultt. We wish her the very best as she pursues her passion for social work in college, continuing to support survivors of relationship violence.
Congratulations to our Graduating Peer Advocates!
In addition to Sophie, we also want to acknowledge and extend our congratulations to the following graduating seniors and notable Peer Advocates:
- Angel Rooks-Orton
- Levana Sangros
- Estephanie Garcia
- Ryleigh Zepp-Olson
- Felix Suske
- June Darin
Each of these individuals has contributed significantly to our mission of fostering healthy relationships and preventing teen dating violence. Their dedication and leadership have made a lasting impact, and we are excited to see where they take their advocacy!
How CSN Peer Advocates Made an Impact at JHHS This Year
During the 2023-2024 school year, Peer Advocates took proactive steps to empower their peers by addressing the entire school at several assemblies, in addition to their annual Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month campaign. Imagine standing on stage before hundreds of students as a high schooler, tackling sensitive and serious issues like sexual assault prevention and Title IX laws! In these assemblies, the Peer Advocates brought a fun Jeopardy-style game to the stage, offering a dynamic way to teach students about the federal laws protecting them from gender-based discrimination under Title IX. They also explained how and where to seek support if students ever felt harassed, assaulted, or unsafe.
Later in the school year, Peer Advocates were invited to address the senior class specifically, discussing crucial topics like consent, sexual assault, and the realities of party and hookup culture beyond high school. To ensure the assembly was responsive to students’ concerns, they handed out index cards beforehand to collect questions. These ranged from, “How do you know if a relationship is healthy?” to “How do you ask for consent without it being awkward?” to “Is this really a problem in our community?” With the help of two other students, Andrew Hanna and Braden Hills, the Peer Advocates answered the questions thoughtfully and transparently for the entire auditorium, normalizing healthy and respectful relationships.
