Start Strong held their 3^rd Annual Meeting at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta from May 3-4, 2011. Top health, education and parenting experts joined the Start Strong community to discuss the challenges and innovative approaches emerging in the initiative's four core program areas.  Stacey Dewitt, CEO and president of Connect with Kids Education Network, Inc., Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Citizen’s Health Initiative and Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma presented. Start Strong project directors also shared their experiences with their peers and reported on their progress.

After 1.5 years of implementation, Start Strong has reached approximately 20,000 middle school and high school students, teachers, and parents. Safe Dates or Fourth R curricula are being taught in middle schools in all 11 communities to educate 11 to 14 year olds about healthy relationships and teen dating violence. In addition, all of the sites are using social media to penetrate teen culture through various platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, videos, blogs, photo streams, and online and text polls.  Start Strong is continuing to educate and engage parents while promoting school policy change and primary prevention efforts in new and innovative ways throughout their communities. At the meeting, Start Strong Atlanta hosted a special event with their teen leaders and community partners to share the progress and the impact Start Strong is making on young people’s lives. Start Strong will enter into its fourth and final year in November 2011. As Start Strong Atlanta says, “Start strong and keep it strong!”

Start Strong Atlanta