High school students with “Start Strong Bronx” (Photo by Veronica Vasquez)

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Bianca Ortiz, a 16-year-old with Start Strong Bronx, has previously been in abusive relationships.

“It’s not really something I look back at with a smile on my face,” she said. “I have been hurt emotionally and that’s one of the reasons why I joined Start Strong Bronx.”      

According to a 2005 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in ten teenagers reported being slapped, or physically abused by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the past year.  The number may be even higher in the Bronx: it’s the borough with the highest rate of homicides due to domestic incidents in the city.  

Start Strong Bronx is a new program run by Bronx Lebanon Hospital designed to teach children ages 11-14 about the issue.  It’s run in part by older teenagers such as Bianca, who, among other things, visit middle schools to talk to and advise students.

The program was launched back in June. Funding comes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which aims to improve the health and healthcare of Americans. The foundation will fund the the Bronx Lebanon site along with 10 other sites around the country for 4 years.  It is the largest public health initiative ever funded to prevent teen dating violence.

About 10 teenagers are enrolled in the Bronx, and every Friday from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, they learn to talk about the dangers of unhealthy relationships, and, at the same time, teach themselves about these dangers.

“When the representatives came and spoke about what the program was all about, I wanted to offer my help to change,” said Marc Simmons, 16, a Start Strong Bronx member. “I feel as though a relationship is not what it’s wound up to be.  It is a process or a journey all its own.”

“Since I absolutely love helping people, the principle and the peer mediation director thought I would be really awesome in this program,” said 15-year-old Bryanna Mason, another member.

“I would like this program to spread to a wide range of people,” says Christina Alex, the Project Director of Start Strong Bronx, “I say the younger we go, the better we have to inspire more.”

Start Strong Bronx has also published a comic book using teenage drawings, poems and stories with the help of Ivan Velez Jr., an author of a comic book called, “Tales of the Closet,” which is also based on relationships.

Start Strong Bronx made a recent appearance at MS 331, a school on West Tremont Avenue. Teen member gave a presentation called, “Take it to the Streets,” where they talked to younger students about arguments in relationships via cell phones. 

In January, the program plans to make a healthy relationships podcast, and in the future pursue photography projects as well. 

“I am hoping to reach adolescents, as well as parents, teachers, clergy, and doctors too,” said Alexandra Smith, the coordinator of the teen advisory board. “The public needs to know that intimate partner violence is dangerous.”

Editor’s note: To find out more about Start Strong Bronx visit http://startstrongbronx.org/