LOVE SHOULDN’T HURT.
$25 a month helps stop teen dating violence before it starts.
A broken neck and torn ligaments, among other injuries, is how the 2022-23 school year began for one female Indiana high school senior. The 17-year-old was reportedly in a relationship with one of the two teen boys who beat her repeatedly in their school. She had been threatened via text message in the days prior to the attack.
This story is sad, alarming, traumatizing—and heartbreakingly common. Physical dating violence is on the rise among Indiana high school students.
Indiana is ranked third highest in the nation for the percentage of high school students who reported dating violence. The newly released Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows some shocking results: 37% of female youth and 18% of male youth reported someone they were dating or going out with purposely tried to control them or emotionally hurt them. And these numbers are even higher for youth of color and LGBTQIA+ youth.
Unfortunately, these trends are going in the wrong direction. The percentage of Indiana high school students who were forced to have sex grew to nearly 17% in 2021 compared to 13% in 2015. This represents a growth from 40,413 high school students in 2015 to 54,409 high school students in 2021 who have experienced this trauma at least once. Consider these numbers.
We know young people impacted by dating violence face both immediate and long-term physical, emotional, and mental challenges that can affect their ability to succeed in school, jobs, and life. This makes LifeSmart Youth programming so much more essential for Indiana youth. It is more critical than ever to take actionable solutions to give our youth safe and healthy futures.
Will you please join us in supporting Indiana youth with programming that is impactful and helps build life-long skills to foster healthy relationships and healthy lives?
Donate by clicking the button below, or Text to Give: Send LIFESMART to 44321
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Our Programs
Your help enables us to continue providing Indiana youth with the knowledge and skills they need to successfully develop and maintain healthy and safe relationships, stay healthy, and make positive decisions.
CARE™
CARE (Communicating with And Respecting Each other) addresses consent, teen dating communication, and dating violence prevention.
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Human Growth & Development
Human Growth and Development teaches students how to care for and respect their growing and changing bodies during puberty.
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Rights, Respect, Responsibility (3Rs)®
3Rs provides middle school students with the knowledge, confidence, and skills necessary to avoid teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), while stressing the importance of respect for self and others.
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Step Up for Kindness!™
Step Up for Kindness! teaches kindness, empathy, compassion, and the skills to be an upstanding citizen who prevents bullying.
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LifeSkills® Training
LifeSkills Training provides adolescents and young teens with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations involving substance use and other risky behaviors.
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