Liceo Statale "Ettore Majorana"

Teen Dating Violence (TDV) is a form of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) occurring in adolescence and it refers to any behaviour by a current or former intimate partner. Such behaviours include: acts of physical aggression, acts of sexual aggression, psychological violence/abuse such as intimidation, constant belittling and humiliating, and other “controlling behaviours” such as isolating a person from their family and/or friends.

At the European level one in five women has experienced the physical and sexual violence of a partner since the age of 15 (FRA EU “Violence against women: an EU-wide survey” 2014). Also, women between the ages of 18 and 29 have the highest prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence in the past 12 months. According to a 2019 survey (Wincentak, K., et al. 2019) of high school students who had dated in the past year, 9% of females and 7% of males experienced physical violence at the hands of a dating partner. Rates of sexual dating violence are higher for female high school students, with nearly 13% of girls and 4% of boys who dated being forced to do something sexual they did not want to do. The EU has long recognized that violence against women is a violation of human rights and a form of gender-based discrimination that has a major negative impact on victims and significant costs for society. The COVID-19 crisis has increased gender inequalities and has created conditions where women face higher risks of gender-based violence.

The motivation for the project rises from the above data and on the fact that TDV has a tremendous impact on health outcomes and on adult lifestyles. Experiencing dating violence in life as an adolescent or young adult can have long-term detrimental impacts: victims are at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behaviour, poor sexual health, and poor mental health. TDV is also associated with relationship violence later in life. Fostering expectations for healthy relationships and teaching healthy relationship skills are critical to a primary prevention approach to the problem of TDV.

The project should be funded because of its impact on TDV awareness and prevention.
Thanks to the development of an innovative training for youth and teachers based on tangibile, scientific evidence, the project is intended to engage 180 youth directly and 2000 indirectly, 120 teachers and educators directly and 1000 indirectly. It foresees to have an impact in:

Increasing teachers & educators knowledge and awareness on TDV; Increasing teachers & educators skills to support their students; Increasing youth knowledge and awareness of TDV;
Increasing healthy relationship skills in youth;

Increasing the number of teenagers engaged in helping their peers.

ACT 4 LOVE foresees the implementation of robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the project’s progress, effectiveness and impact.

The general aim of the project is to tackle Teen Dating Violence (TDV) through the design and the piloting of a gamified education program on healthy loving relationships to raise awareness and prevent TDV among 14-18 teenagers. These following specific objectives are linked to the 4 project priorities:

O1: To increase secondary school teachers and educators’ knowledge and awareness on TDV
Teachers and Educators will be trained to prevent harmful power inequities and intimate partner violence at school, thus promoting social inclusion and the outreach to people facing gender inequalities (WP3 D.3.1 ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators).

O2: To increase teenagers’ healthy relationship skills and critical thinking to confront TDV
Teenagers will be trained to confront discrimination based on gender (WP4 D.4.1 E-modules for young people and peer mentors and D.4.2 Gamified simulations and learning scenarios). They will develop key competences integrating their curriculum with SEL skills (D.4.1, D.4.2) and go creative through the ACT 4 LOVE Contest (WP5 D.5.3 ACT 4 LOVE awareness campaign).
Increasing teenagers’ SEL skills will promote capacities to prevent marginalisation, tackling learning disadvantages.

O3: To empower young people in preventing TDV through peer education
Teenagers will be taught how to practise techniques for offering support and bystander intervention (WP4 D.4.1 E-modules for young people and peer mentors). They will be engaged directly in the possibility of becoming peer-mentors and thus promoting social inclusion and the outreach to people facing gender inequalities. They will develop key competences with new activities they can deliver to peers (D.4.1, D.4.2 Gamified simulations and learning scenarios, WP5 D.5.3 ACT 4 LOVE awareness campaign).
They will promote well-being among their peers and act as positive role models, preventing TDV and marginalisation (WP4 D.4.1 E-modules for young people and peer mentors).

O4: To foster schools potentials as protective environments
A more inclusive school is also a safer school. Teacher and student training activities to confront TDV will improve the school climate for all students but particularly for those at risk of discrimination (WP2, WP3, WP4, WP5). At a school level, ACT 4 LOVE will promote a holistic approach to teaching and learning and foster collaboration among all actors within schools, tackling early school leaving.

Priorities and Topics

HORIZONTAL: Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education, training, youth and sport

SCHOOL EDUCATION: Development of key competences SCHOOL EDUCATION: Tackling learning disadvantage, early school leaving and low proficiency in basic skills

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY IN ALL FIELDS OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, YOUTH AND SPORT ACT 4 LOVE creates opportunities to develop the needed skills within relationships to prevent harmful power inequities and intimate partner violence (IPV). Men are usually the main perpetrators of IPV. Addressing gender-based violence (GBV) is important when tackling teen dating violence. Teen dating violence is often influenced by societal norms and expectations related to gender roles. By addressing GBV issues, it is possible to dismantle harmful stereotypes and power imbalances that contribute to abusive behaviours in relationships. Thanks to the Gamified education program for youth (WP4) boys and girls will confront discriminations linked to gender and intersectional factors; they will learn how to identity and confront gender stereotypes and GBV in first affective sexual relationships, how to reject power and control dynamics and build on equity and consent, and how to practise conflict resolution and positive communication. At school level, teachers and school staff will be trained, thanks to the ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators (WP3), to create nurturing school environments that reinforce values such as recognising diversity, mutual respect and empathy.

DEVELOPMENT OF KEY COMPETENCES ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators (WP3) is intended to support and help teachers develop cross-curricular competencies and creativity. Creating a school environment that enhances safety and feelings of safety, promotes healthy relationships and respectful boundaries, and reduces tolerance for violence among students and school personnel can play an important role in reducing rates of TDV perpetration. Teachers will be encouraged to challenge their own bias and explore gamified learning approaches through digital technologies. The design of an awareness campaign on TDV made by students will provide teachers with inspiration on how to use social media to raise awareness and promote change. TACKLING LEARNING DISADVANTAGE, EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND LOW PROFICIENCY IN BASIC SKILLS ACT 4 LOVE will support teachers and educators to identify teenagers at risk of being engaged in an abusive relationship. Teenage victims of TDV have a higher risk of marginalisation and to develop psychosocial and health problems. Teachers and educators, thanks to ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators (WP3) will be provided with the skills and competences to prevent and early intervene in case of TDV. ACT 4 LOVE Toolbox (WP2) will collect Social emotional learning tools that promote social and emotional competence among teenagers and school staff; those tools will help teachers and educators to promote well-being and mental health at school.

O2: To increase teenagers’ healthy relationship skills and critical thinking to confront TDV
Teenagers will be trained to confront discrimination based on gender (WP4 D.4.1 E-modules for young people and peer mentors and D.4.2 Gamified simulations and learning scenarios). They will develop key competences integrating their curriculum with SEL skills (D.4.1, D.4.2) and go creative through the ACT 4 LOVE Contest (WP5 D.5.3 ACT 4 LOVE awareness campaign).
Increasing teenagers’ SEL skills will promote capacities to prevent marginalisation, tackling learning disadvantages.

O3: To empower young people in preventing TDV through peer education
Teenagers will be taught how to practise techniques for offering support and bystander intervention (WP4 D.4.1 E-modules for young people and peer mentors). They will be engaged directly in the possibility of becoming peer-mentors and thus promoting social inclusion and the outreach to people facing gender inequalities. They will develop key competences with new activities they can deliver to peers (D.4.1, D.4.2 Gamified simulations and learning scenarios, WP5 D.5.3 ACT 4 LOVE awareness campaign).
They will promote well-being among their peers and act as positive role models, preventing TDV and marginalisation (WP4 D.4.1 E-modules for young people and peer mentors).

O4: To foster schools potentials as protective environments
A more inclusive school is also a safer school. Teacher and student training activities to confront TDV will improve the school climate for all students but particularly for those at risk of discrimination (WP2, WP3, WP4, WP5). At a school level, ACT 4 LOVE will promote a holistic approach to teaching and learning and foster collaboration among all actors within schools, tackling early school leaving.

Priorities and Topics

HORIZONTAL: Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education, training, youth and sport

SCHOOL EDUCATION: Development of key competences SCHOOL EDUCATION: Tackling learning disadvantage, early school leaving and low proficiency in basic skills

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY IN ALL FIELDS OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, YOUTH AND SPORT ACT 4 LOVE creates opportunities to develop the needed skills within relationships to prevent harmful power inequities and intimate partner violence (IPV). Men are usually the main perpetrators of IPV. Addressing gender-based violence (GBV) is important when tackling teen dating violence. Teen dating violence is often influenced by societal norms and expectations related to gender roles. By addressing GBV issues, it is possible to dismantle harmful stereotypes and power imbalances that contribute to abusive behaviours in relationships. Thanks to the Gamified education program for youth (WP4) boys and girls will confront discriminations linked to gender and intersectional factors; they will learn how to identity and confront gender stereotypes and GBV in first affective sexual relationships, how to reject power and control dynamics and build on equity and consent, and how to practise conflict resolution and positive communication. At school level, teachers and school staff will be trained, thanks to the ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators (WP3), to create nurturing school environments that reinforce values such as recognising diversity, mutual respect and empathy.

DEVELOPMENT OF KEY COMPETENCES ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators (WP3) is intended to support and help teachers develop cross-curricular competencies and creativity. Creating a school environment that enhances safety and feelings of safety, promotes healthy relationships and respectful boundaries, and reduces tolerance for violence among students and school personnel can play an important role in reducing rates of TDV perpetration. Teachers will be encouraged to challenge their own bias and explore gamified learning approaches through digital technologies. The design of an awareness campaign on TDV made by students will provide teachers with inspiration on how to use social media to raise awareness and promote change. TACKLING LEARNING DISADVANTAGE, EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND LOW PROFICIENCY IN BASIC SKILLS ACT 4 LOVE will support teachers and educators to identify teenagers at risk of being engaged in an abusive relationship. Teenage victims of TDV have a higher risk of marginalisation and to develop psychosocial and health problems. Teachers and educators, thanks to ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators (WP3) will be provided with the skills and competences to prevent and early intervene in case of TDV. ACT 4 LOVE Toolbox (WP2) will collect Social emotional learning tools that promote social and emotional competence among teenagers and school staff; those tools will help teachers and educators to promote well-being and mental health at school.

DEVELOPMENT OF KEY COMPETENCES ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators (WP3) is intended to support and help teachers develop cross-curricular competencies and creativity. Creating a school environment that enhances safety and feelings of safety, promotes healthy relationships and respectful boundaries, and reduces tolerance for violence among students and school personnel can play an important role in reducing rates of TDV perpetration. Teachers will be encouraged to challenge their own bias and explore gamified learning approaches through digital technologies. The design of an awareness campaign on TDV made by students will provide teachers with inspiration on how to use social media to raise awareness and promote change. TACKLING LEARNING DISADVANTAGE, EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND LOW PROFICIENCY IN BASIC SKILLS ACT 4 LOVE will support teachers and educators to identify teenagers at risk of being engaged in an abusive relationship. Teenage victims of TDV have a higher risk of marginalisation and to develop psychosocial and health problems. Teachers and educators, thanks to ACT 4 LOVE Capacity Building program for teachers and educators (WP3) will be provided with the skills and competences to prevent and early intervene in case of TDV. ACT 4 LOVE Toolbox (WP2) will collect Social emotional learning tools that promote social and emotional competence among teenagers and school staff; those tools will help teachers and educators to promote well-being and mental health at school.