November is Notre Dame’s third month of the Be Well program, and its theme is healthy relationships.
The Be Well topics come out of the safety committee and are created with student input to ensure they are as relevant to the students as possible.
Each month, the topic is acknowledged in advisory, and there are also books in the library and information about the theme included in parent newsletters to foster conversations at home.
“With healthy relationships, it’s important to feel valued and know when the relationship becomes not healthy,” shared counselor Mrs. Beth Abler. “We want you to know how to recognize healthy and unhealthy parts of a relationship.”
According to a study by Youth.gov, 76 percent of teens have experienced some type of emotional or psychological abuse in a relationship, and eleven percent have experienced violence.
Recognizing the signs of an unhealthy relationship is especially important for teens because many of them are new to relationships.
The Be Well program is designed to help students recognize the signs of when a relationship is unhealthy or headed that way.
Many of these signs are included in the monthly Toilet Talks, which are informational papers posted in the bathrooms.
The signs include when you and the person you’re dating are financially unequal, when you don’t spend any quality time away from each other, when one person is controlling of the relationship, and many more.
If you are experiencing an unhealthy relationship or want to talk about it, many resources are available, such as the school counselors and the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
“Before Covid, I sort of pooh-poohed the whole mental health thing,” said English teacher Carolyn Brown. “Now I’m really aware of how important social interaction and healthy relationships are. In fact, it may be the reason I’m still in the classroom.”
