Abstract
Violence and abuse in teen dating relationships are now recognized as pervasive and far-reaching problems that cannot be managed by detecting and treating only those who have already begun these patterns. Such problems may need to be addressed outside the confines of traditional clinical and educational models. An alternate model conceptualizes educational and experiential strategies as stand-alone or afterschool curriculum delivered in partnership with community services specializing in violence-related work, such as Child Protective Services, battered women's shelters, male batterer groups, and youth support agencies. We believe that early to middle adolescence is a crucial time for establishing a pattern of healthy, nonviolent relationships with intimate partners that carries forward to future family members. This article describes the Youth Relationship Project (YRP), which has a community-based curriculum designed to enhance youths' social and relationship skills through prosocial action. A section on the YRP is included as an example of an alternate model and is, therefore, intended to be more descriptive than evaluative in nature. Evaluative strategies and preliminary findings are presented.