Prevention Resources

Tools & Curricula

A Place to Start: A Resource Kit for Preventing Sexual Violence
Explains how you can play a role in preventing sexual violence.

Drawing the Line: A Guide to Developing Effective Sexual Assault Prevention Programs for Middle School Students
This document has been developed by a multidisciplinary group of experts in the field of sexual assault to help adults who routinely come in contact with middle school students design new sexual assault prevention programs and revise existing programs to refiect emerging developments in the field.

Expect Respect: A School-Based Program Promoting Safe and Healthy Relationships for Youth
By Barri Rosenbluth, Austin SafePlace (March 2002). This publication describes Expect Respect, a nationally-recognized dating and sexual violence prevention and intervention program in Austin, TX, which provides school-based counseling to children and youth who have experienced abuse, and educational programs on the prevention of dating and sexual violence, sexual harassment and bullying. This document examines the issues of dating violence, sexual harassment and bullying, their interrelationship, and offers a rationale for school-based programs. The Expect Respect curriculum has been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a promising program for sexual and dating violence prevention.

Filling the Gaps: Hard-to-Teach Topics
A teacher’s manual on eight hard-to-teach topics in sexuality education-abstinence, condom use, diversity, pregnancy options, safer sex, sexual behavior, sexual identity and orientation, and sexuality and society.

Guide to Science-Based Practices
These strategies for preventing substance abuse are, in many cases, parallel with those for violence prevention. While there is no guarantee that a prevention activity based in these principles will succeed in delivering positive outcomes, these key elements can provide a solid foundation for a science-based approach.

Healthy Relationships Violence Prevention Curriculum
3 lessons from the curriculum developed by Men for Change.
1: Exposing Gender Stereotypes
2: Learning Gender Stereotypes
3: The Impact of Gender Stereotypes

Innovative Approaches to Increase Parent-Child Communication about Sexuality: Their Impact and Examples from the Field.
Is intended to guide parents and caregivers, policymakers, public agencies, and educators in their quest for high-quality parent-child communication programs.

Making the Peace
The paper describes a comprehensive curriculum, training and organizing program designed by staff of the Oakland Men's Project to prevent male-to-female family and dating violence among youth ages 14-19. This Making the Peace (MTP) curriculum, originally published in 1997, includes an organizers' manual, teachers' guide, 15 session curriculum and handout packages for educators, administrators and family violence community-based organziations on preventing family / relationship violence in an entire school district.

Positively Informed: Lesson Plans and Guidance for Sexuality Educators and Advocates
A resource kit of lesson plans and guidance for comprehensive sexuality educators, Positively Informed provides a handpicked selection of some of the best English-language sexuality education materials out there. Intended to serve as a source of ideas, examples, and inspiration for educators developing their own sexuality education curricula, the lesson plans use creative, interactive, learner-centered teaching strategies, and are adaptable to diverse cultural settings. They address gender issues, challenge discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, and present sexuality as a positive part of life rather than something to be feared and shrouded in taboos. These lessons are appropriate for 10- to 19-year-olds and are classroom ready. Depending on the cultural context, level of community support, and students' level of knowledge and experience, some may need considerable adaptation to be relevant and effective. Listed at the end of the book are references to additional recommended lesson plans.

Prevention and Intervention of Sexual Violence in Schools: Talking About "It"
This booklet provides basic information useful for anyone who works with children or youth. It is not a curriculum for students or a training manual for staff, rather it is a tool to get people who work with children and youth talking about sexual violence.

Safe Dates
Safe Dates is a program designed to stop or prevent the initiation of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse on dates or between individuals involved in a dating relationship. Intended for male and female middle and high school students aged 12 to 18, the Safe Dates program can stand alone or easily fit within a health education or family or general life skills curriculum. Because dating violence is often tied to substance abuse, Safe Dates also can be used with drug and alcohol prevention and general violence prevention programs. Safe Dates has been identified by SAMHSA as a model program.

School-Based Violence Prevention Programs
This website identifies school-based programs that prevent violence against girls and young women, the primary targets of much abuse including dating violence, sexual assault and sexual harassment. The manual provides practical research- and expert-based information on school-based programs to prevent interpersonal violence.

See It, Stop It Toolkit
Campaign developed by teens in Massachusetts to help prevent relationship violence.

The Spectrum of Prevention: Developing a Comprehensive Approach to Injury Prevention
Developed by the Prevention Institute. The Spectrum of Prevention is a tool that can help practitioners and policy leaders move beyond a primarily educational approach to achieve broad community goals through injury prevention strategies that include policy development.

Too Good for Violence
Too Good for Violence (TGFV)is a school-based violence prevention/character education program that improves student behavior and minimizes aggression. TGFV helps students in grades K-12 learn the skills they need to get along peacefully with others. TGFV has been identified by SAMHSA as a model program.

Toolkit to End Violence Against Women
To provide concrete guidance to communities, policy leaders, and individuals engaged in activities to end violence against women, the National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women developed the Toolkit To End Violence Against Women. Each Toolkit chapter focuses on a particular audience or environment and includes recommendations for strengthening prevention efforts and improving services and advocacy for victims.