Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Parents and teachers gathered last week at City Hall to watch the premiere of a video produced in a collaborative effort between Advocates Against Battering and Abuse and several local school students.
The video, "Impact of Harassment on Youth," is part of Advocates' Youth Partnership Program.
The video deals with all types of harassment, said Diane Moore, Advocate executive director.
"It's a big problem in Routt County," she said.
The video will be used to educate middle school students in the county's three school districts about harassment. Trained high school peer educators will also talk to the younger students.
The center received special funding for the project a year ago, Moore said.
Harassment was chosen as the topic because there had been a noticeable increase of such incidents among seventh- and eighthgraders, Moore said.
Advocates brainstormed with middle school personnel to decide how to address the issue. The result was the video that includes two high-schoolers and 20 eighth-graders acting out various scenarios depicting examples of bullying and other harassment.
The health teachers at the middle school contacted the students, and the group talked about the project. "We used them as our experts in some ways," Moore said.
The video was completed after a day of filming.
Moore said it is important to educate younger students about issues like sexual harassment before they reach high school.
Wendy Hall, a health teacher at the middle school, said dealing with harassment is a way of life for the students. Hall was impressed with the finished product and believes it will be an important tool. "Educating them is half the battle," she said.

Meredith Geldmeier is a senior at
Christian Heritage School and an intern
for the Steamboat Pilot & Today.