Teachers | Teen, college, and military sexual assault, school healthy dating, intimacy, and bystander intervention resources brought to you by The Date Safe Project, Inc.

Tell us what YOU WANT on this site!

“The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” ~Ben Stein

With a new semester getting started or about to start in schools and universities, what have you DECIDED you really want for this year? What are you going to do to make that happen?

I will start off by sharing what we WANT to start providing you as a visitor to this site in 2010 and then ASK you what more YOU want from our site in 2010. Let’s make it happen! Here is our list of what we are beginning to create for you:

1. Each week, find inspiration and ideas from others around the world pertaining to real solutions to difficult conversations which often occur with teenagers, college students, and members of the military. Soon, you will find our “Question of the Week” answered by multiple people each week (could be YOU quoted in one or many of the Questions).

2. To be able to join our special Team Members section of this website where “How To” videos, articles, podcasts, and monthly tele-seminars with interviews of top experts, educators, activists, and positive role models will be available to you. You’ll be able actively participate in the tele-seminars (free for our Members and a reasonable fee for others). Starting in FEBRUARY!

3. To discover fantastic examples of role models featured here on the site (survivors, parents, activists, educators, professionals, celebrities making an impact, etc…).

4. To GIVEAWAY more helpful resources and materials through our website!

What do YOU WANT from this site? WHAT would you like to learn more about? WHO would you like to learn from? Any technology you would like to see used more often? Do you want to help on our mission? Let us know. Answer all these questions by “Leaving a Comment” now.

Written by Mike Domitrz on January 22, 2010

Most In-Depth and “How To” Curriculum Available

Receive the Instructor’s Guide and the 30 books for the classroom
when you bring the “Can I Kiss You?” presentation to your schools!

Imagine your students immediately implementing the lessons they discovered in your classroom into their own dating lives and for helping their friends in unhealthy relationships. You will be sharing a curriculum that inspires students to take the proper actions to best protect themselves and peers at parties and in relationships.

You and your students will enjoy the powerful exercises included in each chapter and find quizzes which reinforce the learning of material (verses simply checking on memorization). The curriculum often leads to students becoming more socially active in the community!

Powerful Curriculum & Instructor’s Guide

		Instructor’s Guide = $297 (Regular Price: $397) Get the Instructor’s Guide for utilizing with the students in your classrooms. Through interactive exercises and an easy-to-read book, everyone is challenged to improve their understanding of healthy relationships and sexual decision-making.

Include 30 Books for the Classroom at less than $7 per book.

		COMPLETE May I Kiss You? K12 Curriculum 30 “May I Kiss You?” Books + Instructor’s Guide = $497 ($747 Value) Get the Instructor’s Guide plus 30 copies of the “May I Kiss You?” Paperback Book for utilizing with the students in your classrooms. Now you’ll have EVERYTHING you need to put the curriculum into action!

The Ultimate Teacher’s Pack = Save Over $300

[Show as slideshow]

Click on image for larger version.

BUY for only $697 ($1,050 Value)

25 May I Kiss You? Paperback Books for classes.

1 Instructor’s Guide to May I Kiss You? Book.

Set of 17 “Do You Ask?” Posters. Post throughout school.

12 White “Can I Kiss You?” T-shirts to promote lessons through students.

200 “Can I Kiss You?” Tattoos to handout throughout the year.

1 Voices of Courage E-book for a fantastic resource for students who are survivors.

1 Voices of Courage Audio CD Set which is perfect for playing chapters to your classes.

1 Lessons from the Road Paperback Book to help further cultivate student leadership.

GET TODAY (click here)

BUY for only $697 ($1,050 Value)

Written by Mike Domitrz on January 13, 2010

Students & Their Teachers are CHEERING

More for You. Please click on the following links for more info on the “Can I Kiss You?:”

About Watch the Video “Train the Trainer”

Student Feedback Reserve a Date Downloads

Do you want a speaker, author, and expert who is going to have your students rolling in the aisles from laughter and then just minutes later have everyone completely mesmerized in silence as he shares the personal story of his sister’s rape?

As a leading authority on consent, healthy dating, and sexual assault awareness, Mike Domitrz understands that students want to be entertained and that schools want an expert who will make a positive and long lasting difference in the lives of their students. Everyone in a school assembly program wants a compelling and powerful presentation that each person can relate to in a meaningful manner. For this reason, Mike takes you and your students on a journey from hilarious laughter to hard-hitting questions. Then, he provides the answers every student will immediately want to use in his or her own life.

From 6th grade through Seniors in High School, males and females from all cultures, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and diverse populations appreciate Mike’s sincerity and honesty. While he presents one of the “cleanest” programs in schools today, he holds nothing back.

Through his role-playing with audience members and his portrayal of intriguing characters on stage, Mike turns what is often labeled as a “silent” issue into an engaging and thought-provoking event for you and your students. While most people simply “make their move” on a date, you’ll discover how and why “asking first” makes all the difference! Students are given the precise words and skills to insure both partner’s boundaries are respected at all times. Plus, you and your students discover how to appropriately intervene in potentially dangerous situations, including with their friends (alcohol, parties, etc…). In addition, everyone learns how to “Open the Door” to properly support all survivors of sexual assault. Through it all, each person gains a greater level of admiration and respect for survivors of sexual assault.

Throughout your event, Mike will reveal a new and fun approach towards respect that will change each student’s outlook on dating and intimacy. When your students leave the “Can I Kiss You?” program with Mike Domitrz, they will be telling their friends, “Wow! I never thought of that stuff before! I need to completely overhaul my approach to dating and respecting others.“

Call 800-329-9390 TODAY to get an available date!

Limited Dates are Available. With his sons in school, Mike limits his travel dates.

**To learn more about Mike Domitrz, click here or scroll over the Mike Domitrz section in the top bar of this website.

Bring the “Can I Kiss You?” Program to your community. Call now to receive a special 20 page informational magazine and to find the best remaining dates available. Toll Free 800-329-9390 or click here to email us.

More for You. Please click on the following links for more info on the “Can I Kiss You?:”

About Watch the Video “Train the Trainer”

Student Feedback Reserve a Date Downloads

Written by The Date Safe Project Inc on August 25, 2009

Wichita Teen Speaks Out Against Dating Violence

With this week being dedicated nationally to addressing Teen Dating Violence, we are working hard to provide you insightful tips, stories, and inspirations throughout this week. Today’s focus? How do teens recover from violence? What outlets can we give them to express themselves?

Brian Latta, a Digital Productions teacher at Northwest High School in Wichita, Kansas assigned his class a project. He challenged his students to create a public service announcement about teen dating abuse. The public service announcement they were creating could only be one minute in length.

Not a lot of time to send an entire message. Not until one of his students took the challenge head on!

Ashley Hoyle experienced teen dating violence first hand. She is a survivor.

She wanted to express to teens, adults, law enforcement, and educators just how serious the problem is and how hard it is to recognize the signs. Ashley was able to tell others through her video what she wasn’t able to verbalize about her experience. Her message was so strong that she was selected to be the National Spokeswoman for National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week which started yesterday (on Sunday).

Not only was she given the opportunity to warn and help others but she also has found a way to experience healing for herself. As I travel the country, I continually meet incredible survivors who share how writing, performance, or some form of expressing themselvs is what really sped up the healing and recovery process for them as survivors. Many of the surivors in the book "Voices of Courage" have talked about how powerful writing their chapter for the book was for their own personal journeys. Then to hear from other survivors who have praised the book — has simply made the journey that much more meaningful for them.

Being part of an abusive relationship eats away at self esteem. The abuser uses control and manipulation to slowly or quickly eliminate a victim’s self esteem. Providing the ability for a survivor to do something constructive with his/her experience re-builds the self-esteem.

When working with abused teens, explore what re-builds their self-esteem. What projects and contests can you sponsor or create in your schools and communities? Who will you team up with? Local TV, local cable access networks, print media, retailers, etc…

Self-esteem can also grow through finding ways to experience success in other venues: a sport, hobby or interest. Help survivors recognize how special they are to the world. Remind them of their many talents that make them remarkable. More than anything, help them realize how incredible they are for THEMSELVES.

This posting was inspired by the following article:
"Wichita teen a national speaker on abuse" by JILLIAN COHAN with Wichita Eagle. Click here to read full article.

Written by Mike Domitrz on February 4, 2008

Students, Teachers, Parents, and Administrators Tackle Sexual Harrassment

Monday, February 4, 2008 marks the third annual “National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week’. Beginning Monday, students across the country will begin campaigns bringing to light this reality among our children. Sadly, this reality has been an unnoticed problem for a long time.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) a reported 9% of American teens reported they have been physically hurt by their boyfriend or girlfriend. Even more frightening is the way technology is being used to stalk, intimidate and abuse our children. Many teens are embarrassed to admit this is going on and it goes unreported.

As parents, educators, and law enforcement, it is our responsibility to teach our children that violence and dating is not ok, to identify what is acceptable behavior, and what to do if they do not like how they are being treated. We need to give them the tools to stay safe and date safe!

Here are some great links for more information: www.TheSafeSpace.org and www.BreakTheCycle.org

SHARE In the "Comments" section what students are doing in your area. If you have ideas for schools, parents, or law enforcement, share with us.

Written by Mike Domitrz on February 1, 2008

Dating Violence Among Teenagers Ignites Activism

Here are some great links for more information: www.TheSafeSpace.org and www.BreakTheCycle.org

SHARE In the "Comments" section what students are doing in your area. If you have ideas for schools, parents, or law enforcement, share with us.

Written by Mike Domitrz on February 1, 2008

A new semester of school brings fresh challenges for educators (mentally, emotionally, and physically).

Teachers, professors, educators, advisors, student leaders, and activists have shared throughout the years how busy this time of the year is for everyone. For middle schools and high schools, the first semester is wrapping up. For colleges and universities, a new semester is about to begin. Not surprisingly, do you notice how many people get sick during this 3 or 4 weeks? Stress.

Those of you who devote your lifes to helping others often forget to take care of yourselves. A common mistake for many of us. What do you do to relax and take care of yourself? Quickly grab a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle so that you have 2 columns. Above one column write, "Relax" and at the top of the other column, write "Taking Care of Me." Now, write down everything you ENJOY doing to relax and to take care of yourself. If you have too short of a list, ask people what they like. Suddenly, you should have a nice list for yourself. Look at your daily schedule and take 30 minutes twice a day to do one of the "Relax" items and 30 minutes for one of the "Taking Care of Me" choices. The bigger the list, the better. Variety and options are key to most people sticking with a plan. Best of all, this approach makes taking care of you FUN!!

Start right here on this blog. Leave a COMMENT listing as many items as you can think of for "Relax" and "Taking Care of ME." The more we share, the more we tend to receive!

Written by Mike Domitrz on January 6, 2008

Do you really want my opinion? Do you take it in or simply let it be said?

When someone provides you feedback, how do you absorb their words? Do you open your mind with a positive energy of "How can I make that work?" or do you respond with "I like your ideas, BUT . . ." and immediately share why you cannot or will not utilize their idea(s)?

Recently, I was sharing on a college e-mail listserve how schools can utilize our "Pledge for Action" during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. At the time, the pledge was called the "Pledge to Protect." We have been utilizing this pledge for over a 1.5 years. Through this e-mail exchange on the listserve, one of the members shared how she did not like the word "Protect" in the pledge’s title because of the Patriarchal meanings and connotations of that specific word. No one was questioning the content of the pledge — just the name.

We had a choice. We could say to ourselves, "It is one person and this pledge has been extremely effective. If we make this change, we would have to get new websites, change all the current information we send out, and make lots of other updates." The other option we had was to ask the entire listserve, "What if we change the name to ‘Pledge for Action’ which requires signers to commit to taking real action? What do you all think of this idea?"

We chose to open this question to the entire listserve and the feedback was OVERWHELMING — we kept hearing "WE LOVE THE CHANGE to Pledge for Action!!" (www.pledge4action.org).

From that change, another colleague of mine suggested, "Mike, with this new name, I can envision a pin people can wear year-round that says, ‘Pledge for Action’ and it would be a die-cast pin (like a National Honor Society pin in high school) so it would be sharp looking." The "Pledge for Action" pins have now been ordered. We have a pin designed in the shape of the logo used on the pledge with the wording "Pledge for Action" across the front. Plus, we have a new t-shirt coming out which is designed specifically for the pledge!

All of this change happened because one person shared their opinion with us. If we had discarded their e-mail, we would have lost out on improving an already successful educational campaign. The new changes are going to help us get this campaign out to many more populations, especially with schools, communities, and organizations being able to use the pins and the shirts in conjunction with the signing of the pledge.

The surprising part of this experience were the amount of e-mails saying, "Thanks, Mike, for being willing to listen to change. Most people would not have opened up this conversation about their own work." To me, it seems like the only choice. How can you ask students and communities to open their minds — while you keep yours closed to helpful feedback?

Who will you ask for their ideas today? What positive changes will you make? Join us in our newest change and sign the pledge at www.pledge4action.org.

Written by Mike Domitrz on February 22, 2007

Hood College Draws in Local Flavor

This past Tuesday night at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, the campus did a fantastic job of getting local educators and professionals to come out for the "Can I Kiss You?" presentation. After the program, a person from the Baltimore County Schools (1 hour away) introduced herself and then an educator from the local school sytem (in Frederick) talked with me for quite some time.

In our materials, we always encourage campuses to work with their nearby middle schools and high schools to help make a difference throughout the local area (if the facility has enough room to fit their college students and people from the area). A "Great Job" goes out to everyone at Hood College for caring about their extended community!

Sometimes when groups are involved in sponsoring, they only want to give financial assistance. Not at Hood! Several athletes came up to me throughout the night to tell me how hard everyone had been working at "getting the word out." When you get peers promoting, you get ENERGY!!

Written by Mike Domitrz on February 1, 2007