Peer Ambassador Training Event was a Success!
With a successful and productive Peer Ambassador training weekend under our belts, we thought we would let two of our peer advocates fill you in on how the weekend went. Check it out:
Advocate #1
The Peer Ambassador weekend in Dallas was a blast! We had the opportunity to meet a group of amazing teens from around the country! We had a great time getting to know everyone and of course Six Flags over Texas was a ton of fun! One of the highlights for me was having the opportunity to sit down and talk with all of the teens about how they feel teen dating violence affects people in their schools and neighborhoods. We picked a brilliant group of teens and they had so much feedback and input to share with our team. I learned so much during our weekend together. I really appreciated how involved and enthusiastic everyone was about making changes in their home towns. I can’t wait to see the impact that our Peer Ambassadors have in their communities!
The Peer Ambassador weekend was a huge success!
Advocate #2
As advocates with loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, we talk with teens daily about critical, real, and most often difficult situations in their lives caused by unhealthy and abusive behaviors in relationships. When I arrived in Dallas to meet our newly established group of Peer Ambassadors, I assumed most of my weekend would be spent educating and talking about my experiences on the helpline as a senior advocate. It was therefore a great and humbling surprise to spend most of the weekend not being the teacher, but the student, and the peer. I learned so much from our Peer Ambassadors’ stories and explanations of the realities for teens around the country, from different cities, cultures, and futures. And while the knowledge shared and lessons learned were as rich as they were diverse, one message seemed to unite. “Respect is not a privilege. It’s a right, and it starts with yourself.” Thank you to all of our Peer Ambassadors for teaching us more than you know, and to everyone who advocates and educates on the effects of abuse.
The experience I had as a peer ambassador was so rewarding. It was great to know that I wasn’t alone in my experiences! I look forward to hearing all the great things loveisrespect is doing to stop dating violence!!