Prevention Peer Network

Description:

Human Options launched its Teen Ambassador Program in 2017. This program selects teen leaders from several different high schools and provides them with training, mentoring, and technical support to prepare them to serve as peer-to-peer mentors. A peer-to-peer mentor is a student who serves as a resource, a helping hand, a sounding board, and a referral service for other youth. Ambassadors commit to implementing two service learning projects per school year.

Last year, the very first Ambassador cohort completed the following projects:

• Varsity Football Purple Socks TDV Awareness Game,
• Love Shouldn’t Hurt school-wide assembly,
• a public screening of a movie that addresses teen dating violence,
• a resource fair featuring domestic violence and TDV community resources,
• TDV peer education groups at our Teen Conference,
• and the launching of a school-based domestic violence awareness club!

Ambassadors also engage their school communities in Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) and Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (February) campaign activities.

Presenter:

Jessica Reynaga serves as the Community Education Manager for Human Options, a domestic violence agency in Orange County. Jessica leads the agency’s prevention efforts by developing educational opportunities for youth audiences and “first responder” professionals. She earned her Master of Social Work from USC, with a concentration in Community Organization, Planning and Administration, and a specialization with Military and Veteran Families. Jessica is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with a concentration in Educational Psychology.