The Youth Empowerment Solutions for Healthy Relationships (YES-HR) curriculum is an adaptation of the original evidence-based YES program. It is designed to help students develop healthy relationship behaviors as they begin to explore dating, with the intent of preventing dating violence. Additionally, the program should empower youth to develop leadership skills and engage in planning and implementing school change projects that focus on collaboration while promoting healthy relationship dynamics and the prevention of aggressive dating behavior.
The YES-HR curriculum focuses on developing leadership skills, community pride, program planning, and resource mobilization. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the original evidence-based YES program curriculum and includes sections on YES core components, assessing readiness to implement YES, determining the need for adaptations, designing adaptations, and reflecting on their results.
YES-HR can be implemented by individuals who are responsible for choosing, supervising, and carrying out youth programs.
The YES-HR curriculum was developed in partnership with Dr. Joanne Smith-Darden at Michigan State University School of Social Work, and Dr. Poco Kernsmith at the University of Texas Arlington School of Social Work.
The curriculum is available through the University of Michigan TechTransfer.
