Sioux City Violence Prevention Project on NPR

NPR’s Morning Edition recently explored the power of the peer group in discussing campus rape.  The eight minute long piece focused on the strength of bystander programs and pointed to early intervention as a possible strategy.

What if that silence could be broken before college — as early as high school?

At a few high schools in Sioux City, Iowa, students are starting to find out what that might look like.

MVP, or Mentors in Violence Prevention, matches upperclassmen with groups of incoming freshmen. Throughout the school year, the older kids facilitate discussions about relationships, drinking, sexual assault and rape.

Sioux City students have taken part in Mentors in Violence Prevention at the secondary level since 2000, supported by the Waitt Institute. We thank the leadership of the Sioux City School District for their leadership and their nearly 15 year commitment to bullying and gender violence prevention.