Young people and violence in close relationships

Talk About Violence for Young People is a nationwide pilot project for people aged 18–25 who have suffered violence in close relationships and have taken steps to get away from the violence.

Many young people are left afterwards with nowhere to go. They have had immediate help, but they still need a lot of support, a community and specific equipment to start a secure life. Talk About Violence for Young People fills this gap.

“We organise free, anonymous group sessions over a course of eight weeks in small groups. The group leaders are people who understand trauma. They create a safe space where young people can mirror themselves in each other and feel that they are not left alone,” explains Ditte Bjerregaard, Director of the Center for Violence Prevention.

The groups work through conversations and exercises, supplemented with short talks on the mechanisms of violence and the participants’ rights and possible actions they can take. The aim is to minimise feelings of shame and isolation, and support participants in re-establishing boundaries, relationships and well-being.

Participants are recruited through collaborating partners, social media and ambassadors, and through notices posted at educational institutions.

“With the grant from the Vissing Foundation the pilot project will gather experience and create documentation which can form the basis in the long term for a nationwide effort,” says Ditte Bjerregaard.