Students decided what makes a romantic relationship healthy by interacting with one another at a workshop Thursday.
Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment peer facilitators lead the interactive workshop called “Build A Healthy Relationship” about what healthy romantic relationships look like.
Workshop attendees participated in an open discussion on what they value in a relationship in comparison to what society values, and how to prevent unhealthy relationships from happening.
When asked what a healthy relationship entails, attendees agreed trust, communication and support were most important.
PAVE Chair Cassidy Schroeder emphasized the workshop's goal of focusing on building healthy relationships rather than on the narrative of unhealthy relationships.
“It’s really important to focus on what you need or want in a relationship,” Schroeder said. “Knowing what boundaries you have and what you want to get out of a relationship, that’s also a really important part about the conversation on dating.”
The workshop was queer friendly, asking attendees to name their major and identify preferred pronouns when being addressed, such as, “she, her, hers,” or “he, him, his.”
PAVE facilitators receive formal training on how to run workshops and provide information on sexual violence prevention and how to support survivors of abuse on campus.
Schroeder explained reasons for getting involved with PAVE largely had to do with creating a safe space for survivors on campus and creating awareness on when to step up as a bystander or victim of sexual violence.
“I got involved with PAVE because I wanted to create a campus where people have the skills to support friends and peers when they’re talking about their narrative.” Schroeder said.
Because October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, PAVE will be holding many specialized workshops for students and staff to participate to raise awareness on relationship abuse and promote the organization on campus.
