Peer Education and Leadership in Dating Violence Prevention: Strengths and Challenges

Peer education is thought by many to be a “cutting edge” approach to youth dating violence and sexual assault prevention. This article reports ideas from 52 respected programs in the United States about current developments in peer education and leadership. Adolescents are often in tune with “adolescent culture,” can reach other adolescents successfully, and lend meaningful direction and leadership to programs that address their own communities. Most interviewees believed that peer leadership is empowering, engages attention, and offers role models. Programs need sufficient resources to conduct peer education, provide training, and support youth who are involved in youth leadership, and to evaluate their programs.