LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) -Â Crime Victim Services taught teens how to avoid violence and communicate their problems during its annual Anti-Violence Teen Summer Retreat.
The four-day retreat allows teens to build relationships as part of the organization's teen ambassador program.
Participants spent their day learning communication skills and anti-violence training while also playing games and connecting with other teens through fun activities.
CVS workers say that educating kids about violence-prevention strategies and how to communicate their problems is necessary to their upbringing.Â
"Our youth are experiencing violence at alarming rates," said Erin Ostling Burkholder, director of outreach and prevention at CVS.
"We know that 1 in 3 experience dating violence, and 1 in 4 are experiencing sexual violence. It's really important that they understand what is OK and what's not OK and that they have the tools to talk about it, to try to solve their problems, and to be leaders in their own spaces. They're the experts on their own lives, and so we need to help equip them to manage their own experiences."
Eleven teens across six different school districts were registered for the retreat. Organizers said they are excited for the program to grow during its third year.
