Bronx program addresses teen dating violence
BY JASON COHEN
Teen dating violence occurs
far too often in this country.
In fact, nearly 1 in 11
women and 1 in 14 male high
school students report having
being in a physical violent relationship
in the last year.
February was Teen Dating
Violence Awareness Month
and two employees of the Relationship
Abuse Prevention
Program (RAPP) spoke with
the Bronx Times about teen
dating violence and how RAPP
helps kids.
“It (RAPP) teaches young
people there is no place for
abuse in love,” said Sherry
Tagoe, who works as a RAPP
coordinator at the Kennedy
Campus in Marble Hill. “Our
focus is to make sure they
can identify healthy and unhealthy
characteristics in a
relationship.”
Tagoe, who has been in the
social work fi eld for more than
a decade, explained that RAPP
not only tries to help students
feel better about themselves,
but wants to give teens the
confi dence and courage to
stand up to their partner.
She noted that violent behavior
typically begins between
the ages of 12 and 18 and
one in ten high school students
have experienced violence experiences
with their partner.
One person who can attest
to the impact of RAPP fi rsthand
is Sabrina Gonsalez,
who participated in the program
as a student and is now
an early RAPP community educator.
Bronx, started with RAPP at
age 14 as a student at Manhattan
recalled that the fi rst day she
walked into the RAPP room
in high school she had no idea
what it was.
her friends what the organization
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M 40 ARCH 12-18, 2021 BTR
peaked their interest. The
teens signed up to be peer leaders
James E. MaQuade, Owner
Family Owned & Operated for over 60 years
3535 East Tremont Avenue
Bronx, New York
718-792-0270
www.schuylerhill.com
Gonsalez, 23 of the south
Theater Lab. Gonsalez
A woman then told her and
was about and it quickly
If funeral homes were all the same,
Ours wouldn’t be the family choice
The families of our community so often choose our funeral home. Some come to us to pre-plan
arrangements because we offer all the options and choices they desire. Others come to us at their
time of need seeking guidance, support and the certainty of a funeral service that is correct in
every way. Should your family fi nd itself in need of our services, we hope you’ll make the choice so
many in our community have.
in a summer program and
began to learn what a healthy
relationship is supposed to
look like.
“It (RAPP) was a feeling of
having a sense of community,”
she said.
While Gonsalez was not
in a violent relationship, her
parents were abusive to each
other. After attending RAPP
programs, she soon realized
this was not normal.
Gonsalez soon got a job with
RAPP and today hopes to help
people see what a healthy relationship
looks like. According
to Gonsalez, many teens don’t
feel comfortable talking about
their issues with their family,
RAPP often provides them
with an outlet.
She holds discussion
groups with students on topics
such as abuse and sexual harassment.
Gonsalez stressed
that RAPP had an impact on
she and her friends when they
were young and now it is doing
the same for her students.
“I think this is a program
every school should have,”
she stated. In the culture that
I grew up in mental health is
not a thing.”
Advocates are available
24/7 to work with you and
make an individualized safety
plan.
If you are a teen, or adult, in
a violent relationship, call the
National Domestic Hotline on
1-800-621-HOPE. You can also
text LOVEIS to 22522 as a more
discreet option.
Courtesy of RAPP
/www.schuylerhill.com
/www.schuylerhill.com