Sojourner House, a member of the Start Strong Learning Community, is the lead organization for Start Strong Rhode Island. As part of this four-year initiative, Start Strong Rhode Island will be implementing the Start Strong model by:

• Implementing Fourth R, a healthy relationships curriculum, into 4 middle schools, 2 high schools and four after-school organizations
• Mobilizing and coordinating Youth Policy and Education Corps: A group of 15-18 youth who empower their peers to reduce teen dating violence through a curriculum that promotes action through policy change
• Leveraging an extensive network of contacts in government, education, and community groups to collaborate for workshops and education sessions
• Developing and implementing the first-ever online virtual-reality environment to teach healthy relationship skills among youth

BY THE NUMBER

• 14% percent of high school students reported having been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend in 2007, an increase of 55 percent since 2001
• Start Strong Rhode Island targets approximately 2,000 youth age 12-14 in Rhode Island’s core urban areas, where the risk for interpersonal violence and their children's vulnerability to abuse is higher
• Out of 4,327 calls to the Sojourner House helpline in 2008, almost 10% concerned a teen victim

OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE)
Young Voices

MEET THE TEAM

Kate Reilly, Program Director, Sojourner House
Christina Garcia, Community Outreach and Prevention Specialist, Sojourner House
Amber Johnson: Start Strong Youth Leader, Age 15
Rick Rodriguez: Start Strong Youth Leader, Age 16

CONNECT

Address: 386 Smith Street Providence, RI 02908
Email: info@sojournerri.org
Website: http://www.sojournerri.org
Phone: 401-861-6191

COMMUNITY UPDATES

• Start Strong Rhode Island Participating in Pepsi’s Refresh Everything Competition

IN THE NEWS

• Staged fight draws attention to teen dating violence
• A newsletter from Sojourner House, Inc.