Summary

STAHRS was created to reduce family violence through educating our students. In Hawai‘i, one of our projects is to introduce elementary students to issues of empathy, collaboration, and courage through the “Bruno’s Amazing Adventures” book series.

Domestic Violence, also known as Intimate Partner Abuse, is probably the most serious problem that drives all the issues affecting our society and communities. Teen Dating Violence statistics mirror those of adult relationship violence, and recently females have shown to use physical violence more than the males – this is historic! And it typically comes from witnessing too much violence against their mothers.

Domestic violence has been associated with slightly over half of all mass shootings in the United States in the past 20 years. Revenge & retaliation for bullying, or protecting those bullied (recent STEM School shooting) is a driving force behind such extreme actions. We need to create less active shooters through inclusion, empathy, compassion, & understanding. Bringing a marginalized peer into the fold could make a world of difference to that student who already feels different, rejected, abandoned, & isolated.

Our ultimate goal is to educate young men and women about relationship dynamics, both how to create healthy dynamics and how to identify and avoid unhealthy and abusive dynamics. We will address healthy conflict resolution and communication skills. I am trying to prevent these young men and women from becoming professional clients in the future, and thereby, reduce child abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, and school shootings.