We hosted and Editorial Spotlight last night with teens from Rockland high schools who had been trained as SAEDA counselors, which stands for “Student Activists Ending Dating Abuse.” We talked about their work helping teens understand healthy relationships and how they do prevention work to stop the “isms,” of sexist, racism, classism, etc. News reporter Leah Rae wrote an article out of the discussion, too. Read it here.

These teens are trying to influence their peers in a positive way—leading by example to create a society where dating abuse, from verbal putdowns to physical violence, is unacceptable. They are also leading the way to make the world a more respectful place for all of us.

But they are also just teens living teen lives. And that regular chatter among teens, and us, brought up some really interesting information. When asked about their biggest influence, teens all said  their parents. Then, they were asked, who was next? Silence. One said siblings, one said friends. Interestingly, no one said teachers, counselors or other school officials, which many automatically think are major influences. Now, I’m not downplaying the important role of teachers, and many of the kids spoke about those important adults in their lives. But, they really are influenced by their peer groups, for better or worse. That’s important to acknowledge. And, it also underscores the importance of such groups as SAEDA, and Reality Check (the anti-smoking-among-youth programs) and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and other peer advocate groups.

So, (as pictured above) Kapri Rosario, senior at Ramapo; Tyana Soto, junior at North Rockland;  Nana Adjei-Brenyah, senior at Ramapo; and Justin Mathew, a junior from Clarkstown South (and Rockland Family Shelter education director James Young): Thanks for sharing. And for the work you do on behalf of your peers.