Promoting Healthy Relationships
Praxis Youth
Why Praxis Youth?
We value the health and well-being of young people and believe in empowering them to be leaders in their communities. Youth violence is a serious public health issue that has long-term impacts on health and well-being. We know that youth violence is connected to other forms of violence, including teen dating violence and bullying. We believe that by working with youth, schools, parents, and other community members, we can prevent youth violence.
What do we do?
We work with middle school and high school youth in the classroom to build their social and emotional skills and empower them to be community leaders; we train school staff to be partners in youth violence prevention and work with school administration to evaluate and update school policies, and; we engage parents and community members in the work of violence prevention by offering opportunities to build their own skills.
How does it work?
We know there are some experiences youth face that increases their risk of acting violently. We also know that other experiences prevent or protect youth from choosing violence. We call these risk and protective factors. By working to decrease the number of risk factors and increase the number of protective factors that youth experience, we can create a more supportive community for our teens.
Components of Praxis Youth
My Voice Matters
Grow Engage Read Imagine (GERI)
My Voice Matters
Safe Haven’s My Voice Matters (MVM) Youth Violence Prevention (YVP) curriculum incorporates skills-based, age-appropriate, and evidence-based practices that cover the following topic areas of violence prevention and human trafficking prevention: Social Norms, Healthy Relationships, Red Flags and Risk Factors, Bystander Intervention, and Getting Help.
Each topic is delivered during a 45- to 75-minute session. For high-school age participants, this curriculum is delivered in 8th or 10th grade health education or similar classes. The My Voice Matters curriculum can also be facilitated in various youth program settings, including after-school programs and youth groups classes.
My voice Matters Resources
Young Leaders Against Violence (YLAV)
Young Leaders Against Violence (YLAV) is a school-based youth coalition where teens can build leadership skills and work together to prevent dating and sexual violence in their school. The group is made up of high school (9th-12th grade) aged students that share a common interest in eliminating violence. The group meets to organize events, social media campaigns, movie screenings, and meetings with community leaders. YLAV is mentored by a school staff member, trained by Safe Haven Ministries.
Policy Work
Strong policy and consistent adherence to policy acts as a form of primary prevention. Staff, volunteers, and youth each play a vital role in the organization’s efforts to create a safe, healthy, and respectful environment. Violence prevention policies protect both youth and adults from violence and abuse. Good policy that addresses potential risk and leverages protective factors insulates youth against the possibility of experiencing and perpetrating violence.
Parent/Community Engagement with My Voice Matters
My Voice Matters is a Praxis Youth initiative, educating youth, training educators, and engaging parents and caregivers in violence prevention content, specifically designed for youth and the trusted adults in their lives. Praxis Youth initiatives also aim to give adults tools and resources to help them have important conversations with youth.
Parents and caregivers play an important role in preventing violence. Community Connectedness is one of the most impactful protective factors against violence. When we teach healthy relationship skills, and strengthen the connections youth have with trusted adults, we are nurturing safe and supportive communities for everyone. If you or someone you know is looking for more resources, email the Prevention team.
Grow Engage Read Imagine (GERI)
Grow Engage Read Imagine is a program from Safe Haven Ministries that uses books as an effective method of violence prevention. Safe Haven’s prevention and education team created a list of age-appropriate books for children and teens that explore alternatives to violence. The carefully chosen book list promotes leadership, respect of boundaries, and a sense of belonging. These shared values help to reduce the impact of harm on youth and their families.
Grow Engage Read Imagine (GERI) focuses on sexual violence prevention utilizing literature to help facilitate education and discussion around books that model healthy alternatives to violence. The age-appropriate books address themes of gender norms and stereotypes, consent, and empowerment.
GERI gives readers tools to handle conversations around sexual assault, domestic violence, consent, and other topics that deeply impact the connectedness of our community.
Parent/Community Engagement with GERI
GERI is a Praxis Youth initiative that seeks to engage children, youth, parents, and caregivers in order to nurture safe and supportive communities for everyone. As part of this initiative, we want to give trusted adults and parents tools and resources to help them have important conversations with child(ren) and youth.
When we promote healthy relationship skills, build awareness, connect youth to trusted adults, step in to help others, and talk about things that influence our behaviors, we are working towards a world free from violence. Parents and caregivers play an important role in preventing violence. If you’re a parent or caregiver looking for more resources, email the Prevention team.
Voices of the Unheard
Reflecting on the community this past year, we paid attention to both who is active and who gets overlooked.
We know that connectedness has a significant impact on violence in the community, and we want to share with you what that looks like to us. See through our eyes. Hear the Voices of the Unheard.
Voices of the Unheard is a PhotoVoice project led by YLAV members during the 2021-22 academic year.
These photos were taken on disposable cameras, printed and displayed at WMCAT in May 2022.
Praxis Prevention Team
Tony Tendero
Director of Safe Haven Prevention Praxis
Tony connects education with action to end violence, Prevention Praxis encompasses the prevention work of Safe Haven. This includes:
- Praxis Youth which equips students to take insights and make measurable impact toward making their schools and communities safer.
- Praxis Faith which gathers individuals communities together to create cultures of safety and shalom.
- Praxis Community which connects education and action through public seminars and talks as well as customized training for healthcare, human services, criminal justice and workplace communities.
- Praxis Fellows which mentors leaders in how to put the theory of violence prevention into practice in their communities and organizations.
His formal education includes a BA degree (University of Michigan) and an EdD degree (Teachers College-Columbia University). His work in education as a middle school teacher, elementary/middle school principal, curriculum director and university professor was focused on literacy, spiritual formation and leadership development.
Mykal Ward
Training and Education Manager
In this role, Mykal facilitates and supervises prevention-focused education, training, and programming, with a focus on enhancing curriculum and training offerings for youth, youth leaders, and educators. She has taught and mentored students in diverse settings for over 20 years, working with students ranging from middle school through university. She has also supervised and mentored fellow educators with a goal of creating educational environments and experiences informed by best practices, that are designed to help students and teachers reach their highest potential as both educators and learners.
Raquel Rodriguez
Bilingual Violence Prevention Coordinator
Raquel Rodriguez is a coordinator with a passion for empowering youth and creating positive change. Previously, she served as the Middle and High School Coordinator for Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities, advocating for students in academics, housing, anti-bullying, police discrimination, tutoring, mental health services, and educational accommodations. In her current role as the Bilingual Violence Prevention Coordinator at Safe Haven Ministries, Raquel works closely with schools and youth-serving organizations to promote violence prevention and foster healthy relationships.