Loves Me Not raises awareness of dating violence for teenagers

A recent Campbell Live episode looked at Loves Me Not, a one day programme educating teenagers about healthy relationships and dating violence. Developed by the Sophie Elliott Foundation, NZ Police and the Ministry of Social Development's It's Not OK Campaign team, the programme is being piloted in nine high schools nationwide.

The Loves Me Not programme is presented by teachers, Police and NGO facilitators. It looks at healthy and unhealthy relationships and recognising signs of verbal, emotional, psychological abuse and control. Tools are also provided for bystanders such as friends and family to intervene if they can see a relationship is not healthy.

Lesley Elliot, founder of the Sophie Elliot Foundation, speaks in schools about her the murder of her daughter by her ex-boyfriend Clayton Weatherston. Mrs Elliot says, ''I firmly believe that if Sophie had a programme like this in her final years at school she would have known when things went wrong in her relationship.'' 

Mrs Elliot says the crux of the programme is about awareness and hopes the programme will become 'part and parcel' of school curriculum. The programme aims to be nationwide by 2014.

Media:

Sophie Elliot's Mum helping teens, Campbell Live, 27.09.2013

Image: Teens sharing a song by SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic