Youth Services
Prevention and Intervention Programs
Children and young adults are not spared from the realities and impact of domestic and sexual violence. They are witnessing and experiencing it in their homes, first romantic relationships, and circle of friends. This crucial time for exploration and growth is marred by the trauma and confusion that violence brings, oftentimes having residual effects for years to come.
Difficulty sleeping, anxiety, failing grades, inability to concentrate, loss of interest, angry outbursts, and unexplained or persistent injuries are some of the signs of violence in a young person’s life.
Stopping the cycle of violence must include working with young people. They hold the potential to see a future free of violence realized. Alexandra House offers various services to help youth start talking about healthy relationships in all forms and to offer intervention services for victims of childhood trauma.
Youth Services has three full-time staff to provide prevention and intervention programs in six school districts (25 schools) in Anoka County. Our team has college degrees in trauma-informed fields such as Social Work, Psychology, and Education. All our curriculum is evidence-based and overseen by a MN-licensed teacher.
Services offered include:
Classroom Presentations
We offer elementary, middle, high school, and college presentations to students free of charge. Prevention topics include:
- Social and emotional learning on topics such as kindness and empathy
- Healthy/unhealthy boundaries
- Healthy/unhealthy relationships
- Technology abuse
- Domestic, sexual, and dating violence
- Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACEs) and the Effects of Trauma
- All About Consent
- Know the Signs
- Bystander Intervention
Advocacy Services
We can meet with students individually and/or facilitate support groups. We work with students dealing with unhealthy/abusive dating relationships, sexual violence, domestic/family violence, and overall childhood trauma. Our youth advocates are there to provide emotional support and guide students through intervention activities. These activities are individualized and come from our evidenced based curriculum library.
Summer Programming
We continue offering prevention and intervention services to Anoka County youth year-round through our Youth Leadership Institute or by partnering with other local youth servicing organizations.
Awareness Materials
You can make a difference in preventing and ending domestic and sexual violence in our community. Alexandra House has created a teen version of our Are You Safe posters. We encourage schools, community centers, youth-serving organizations, and faith groups to post these in your establishment’s public and private restrooms. We also work to promote February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month with related materials and in our organization newsletter and social media platforms.
Youth Leadership Institute - 2024
Our Youth Leadership Institute is a chance for high-school-aged young people to dive deeper into topics surrounding teen dating violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault. It’s an amazing opportunity to gain advocacy skills and develop a youth-driven advocacy project that will be used within our school year programming. The opportunity is available to all high school students (free of charge), including graduating seniors of 2024. Youth Leadership Institute is centered around project-based learning and is a great way to build your resume, meet other youth while learning, and create a hands-on awareness project for your community – join us!
Dates: July 22 - 26 (M-F)
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (lunch provided)
Perks: All participants will have access to the Andover YMCA following each session.
Ready to sign up? Please email us and request the registration form.