SAN MIGUEL RESOURCE CENTER

name + ROLE

Liza Cooney, Prevention Education Coordinator

year + grant amount

2022, $4,000

WORK in San Miguel County

We have offices in Telluride, Norwood and Naturita. We work in the Telluride School District and the Telluride Mountain School providing violence prevention programming.

favorite projectS

With support from JFK funding this year, we were able to conduct a special week of workshops and activities at Telluride High School called “Teens, Love, & Consent Week” (TLC Week). This project occurred in February as part of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month; workshop topics included signs of healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, consent & boundaries, exploring options for leaving abusive relationships, and bystander intervention skills to prevent sexual violence. These topics were decided on with input from the Peer Advocacy Club – a group of nearly 30 high school students that we trained in providing victim advocacy to their peer survivors. The Peer Advocacy Club was instrumental in TLC Week’s success: many of the students partnered with us to teach the workshops, which were presented to all grades. This partnership was particularly exciting because research indicates that youth are more receptive to information delivered from their peers – and especially when that information is clearly applicable to their lives. Multiple Peer Advocates also reported feeling empowered by the opportunity to educate peers on topics that they felt so passionate about.

In addition to presenting workshops, the Peer Advocacy Club also helped facilitate events and activities throughout the week; activities included consent trivia, art therapy, a “supporting survivors” digital campaign, and a polaroid project to build students’ self-esteem (a factor we know to be important in empowering survivors to leave abusive situations). The dedication of the Peer Advocacy Club, as well as the positive reception to events & workshops by the general high school student body, made TLC Week one of our proudest accomplishments of the year. Thank you, JFK, for your support in making it happen!

memorable momentS

We taught a safety lesson with the TES 2nd graders this Spring about what kinds of secrets are safe to keep and what secrets need to be shared with an adult. This lesson built upon a lesson we taught students the previous year about safe vs. unsafe touches. It was so encouraging to see that even a year later, the 2nd graders perfectly remembered everything we had taught them about safe vs. unsafe touches and trusted adults. With that foundational knowledge, they demonstrated a deep understanding of which kinds of secrets are okay to keep and which are not, why that is, and what makes someone a trusted adult. It was gratifying to see that students really are internalizing the information we share with them – and are even enthusiastic about it! This understanding of safety is a significant protective factor against child sexual abuse. It also better equips students to safely respond to any violence they witness amongst their peers.

In general, any moment when a student remembers and/or practices a skills or concept we’ve taught from a previous lesson is an affirming moment; it tells us that the program really is having an impact on students’ social-emotional development, which reduces their risk of experiencing and perpetrating violence. To see the 2nd graders grasping such important concepts at their young age was so powerful.

lessonS learned

We taught a lesson with the TMS 7th graders where we challenged them to reflect deeply on their personal cultures: their peer groups, their school, their community etc. During the lesson, some of the Latino/a students discussed their desire for Latino & Hispanic culture to be more visible and celebrated in our schools and community. Some of these students we already happened to be meeting with for monthly lunch groups, so we followed up on the lesson and dug deeper into their vision for how inclusion and representation could look at the school. The students decided on hosting an Immigrant Heritage Day afterschool event at the Wilkinson Public Library.

The event was attended by over 30 middle schoolers. It served as a reminder that youth have a strong awareness of the issues and injustices that exist in their school and community, and they often have a desire for change. They just don’t always have the tools or time to reflect and make that change happen – so as adults involved in youth programming, we have a special opportunity to provide that that time and guidance and see how excited and passionate the students become. And when they’re passionate, they have the most creative ideas and accomplish incredible things. When we provide structure and resources for youth and then follow their lead, students often exceed whatever expectations we may have for them.

follow US

San Miguel Resource Center’s general Instagram is @sanmiguelresourcecenter and our Facebook is San Miguel Resource Center.

The Telluride High School Peer Advocacy Club also created an Instagram to promote their events & spread general awareness about dating violence and sexual assault: @peeradvocacyclubths

Photo credit: @PeerAdvocacyClubTHS on Instagram