Jenni Steele, Mother, Author National Ambassador Domestic Violence UK, qualified early intervention youth specialist who set up a program in Lambeth London that works 121 with high risk young people in 2017.
I am a specialist worker for young people who experience domestic violence at home, girls and boys in unhealthy relationships, sexual exploitation, bullying, sexual assault, rape, trauma and abuse.
Why a film on Teenage Domestic? Why YANA? As a teenager I fell victim to an unhealthy relationship this is going back over 20 years. All the support services was adult led and up to this day teenage support services around the globe are lacking. I have taken a very negative experience and turned it into a positive solution for the future “be the change you want to see.”
I created a healthy relationship education school program which highlights different warning signs, highlights the risks and where to get support. This film has been years in the making and it will be used alongside the program to show visual signs of the risks it’s a great education tool. We can talk about signs all day long but when you see it playing out in someone’s life it looks different the warning signs turn to red flags and you can see the hidden dangers.
The film is about a teenage girl called Alex who due to her current relationship her life and school work are spiralling out of control.
Teenage DV is underestimated the awareness needs pushing into every school curriculum. I know that if I had Healthy Relationship Education I may have realised the type of relationship and danger I was in earlier. Nobody spoke to me about what’s healthy or unhealthy in a loving relationship.
Facts: 1 in 3 young people in the UK/US is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence.
The film will not be online as it’s part of an education program that goes with the package. Schools, Colleges and youth organisations book the healthy relationship sessions, workshops or group work. The film is finished and we are in Barbados with it to talk at a conference about the importance of the education from young in turn this will start to break cycles and lower some of the adult risks in years to come.
A trailer is being produced ready to go up on my website on return from this trip. I am hoping to enter it into short film festivals and fingers crossed on tv.
It’s a quality movie that highlights a topic that is taboo and it deserves to be highlighted.
The YANA Project can be taken anywhere in the world and believe me when I say there is no limits as to where Jenni Steele is going to go! My favourite quote catch me if you can.
There will be a screening in London in July for sponsors, professionals in the field, members of parliament, cast and crew.
To book the program :
www.JenniSteele.co.uk
Instagram: @officialjennisteele
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