New “Top 10” list for 2011
Start Strong is taking a critical look at the messages in songs from Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart for 2011. For the third year in row, program youth have created a Top 10 Healthy and Unhealthy Relationship Song List to help other teens think through which songs can serve as models for their own lives and relationships, and which should not.
The next time you’re ready to download that song from iTunes or watch that music video, you may want to check out how healthy it is for you. Just as a nutritional label allows you to count the calories in a fast food hamburger, the Boston Public Health Commission’s Start Strong Initiative has made it easier to measure what’s in the songs you listen to or music videos you watch. The Sound Relationships Nutritional Label is a tool to help music lovers evaluate how healthy – or unhealthy – songs are. TrueView is a music video scoring tool that helps users assess the healthy or unhealthy relationship images in music videos.
The Start Strong Initiative aims to stop teen dating abuse before it starts. We focus on teaching 11-14 year olds teen dating violence prevention strategies and healthy relationships skills. By including Boston young people in every part of the programming, from planning to implementation, we are making sure that we are not just talking about teens. We are talking to them and with them and helping them become part of the solution to the very serious issue of teen dating violence.
The focus of our work covers four main areas.
- First, we educate and engage youth in and out of school.
- Secondly, we work with a group of 25 older teens who serve as peer influencers for their peers and younger teenagers.
- Thirdly, the peer leaders work on media campaigns aimed at preventing dating violence among teenagers in Boston and increasing their healthy relationship skills.
- Lastly, we work with schools, community groups and youth serving agencies to change policies and environmental factors so that they support young people in engaging in healthy relationships.
Healthy Teen Break-Ups
Most young people engage in multiple relationships throughout their teenage years, making mistakes and practicing their relationship skills. The ensuing break-ups can be messy, uncomfortable, and hurtful. The Commission’s Start Strong Initiative is releasing a series of tools to help teens build healthy relationship and conflict resolution skills that are especially important during break-ups. You can download the tools by clicking on the links below: