Choose Respect is out to make a change as they start projects that will promote the goal that both Choose Respect and Start Strong Wichita Have accepted, which is to promote healthy relationships.

Choose Respect is no longer called Choose Respect as it teams up Start Strong Wichita adopting the name Start Strong Choose Respect. Sponsor Antoine Agnew said that it is a program, "which is based on a national program that helps prevent teen dating violence as well as general teen violence."

With the year just kicking off, several topics have been thrown around. Sexting seems to have captured the spotlight, as it becomes a major media topic. The group feels the need to address the most pressing issues and sees sexting as one of them.

"So far we've covered sexting, telling kids it's not worth it and trying to figure out why they take the pictures in the first place. With this, we're trying to focus on what's going on in society and attempting to help teens avoid those bad situations," said sponsor Valerie Most, business.

Both sponsors of the student organization agree that in the past years the group lost perspective on their projects focusing on things unrelated to their mission, losing structure, now there are plans to change this mentality as Agnew present the group with words to consider.

Twenty percent of people cause 80 percent of the problems. We are trying to encourage 80 percent of the people to change from bystanders to upstander," said Agnew.

Along with the powerful message presented by the sponsors Most says that students have their own motivation for joing the group.

"I think it's the positive environment they live in; they see the importance of sharing that positive environment with others," said Most.

It's not only the students who have personal motivation to be involved with Start Strong Choose Respect. Most says witnessing bad relationships got her involved while Agnew saw the group as positive reinforcement for what he does.

"For me being a clinical social worker, it gives me time to see the othere side of things; to see kids who want to make a change, like little clinical social workers," said Agnew.

Whatever reason students wish to get involved group members are open to welcoming new members. Meetings are held every Wednesday in E-3.

Buff Poll

Results of a poll conducted by Start Strong Choose Respect, asking students about their opinion on sexting, a craze that has recently swept the teen nation. This poll was out of 170 students, about 10 percent of the Southeast Population.

Start Strong Wichita