Expect Respect

SafePlace's Expect Respect Program engages youth and adults in building healthy teen relationships and preventing dating and sexual violence. Serving Austin schools since 1988, Expect Respect provides school-based support groups and counseling, youth leadership activities, and educational programs in schools and community settings. View a program overview and logic model.

Expect Respect Support Groups

Expect Respect Support Groups serve middle and high school youth who have experienced violence or abuse in their homes, or are involved in abusive peer or dating relationships. Program goals include increasing personal safety, social support and skills for healthy relationships. More information on Expect Respect Support Groups.

Youth Leadership

The Expect Respect Youth Leadership Programs empower youth to become positive role models and peer educators. Youth leaders mobilize their peers through campaigns, theatre, art, music and spoken-word poetry to become active bystanders in order to prevent bullying, sexual harassment and dating abuse. More information about youth leadership programs and examples of youth leadership in Austin.

School and Community Partnerships

The Expect Respect Program partners with schools and community organizations to create positive environments for youth and to build capacity among adults to promote healthy teen relationships. As the lead partner for Start Strong Austin, we engage youth and adults in preventing dating abuse before it starts.

In collaboration with LifeWorks, we reach out to homeless and runaway youth through counseling, support groups, and specialized prevention education in shelters and street outreach programs.

We work with EngenderHealth and the Travis County City of Austin Summer Work-based Learning Program to prevent teen pregnancy and promote healthy relationships by providing an innovative health education program called Gender Matters.

Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble

Changing Lives creates and performs original theatre addressing dating, cyber-bullying, and related issues for youth audiences. Changing Lives is a collaboration between SafePlace and Theatre Action Project.

Trailer for this year's show, Outside the Box: