Telegraph-Journal 2006
KVHS Making Waves team educates community about dating violence
Wednesday, March 1st, 2006
By Sandra Davis, Telegraph-Journal
Domestic abuse isn’t always evident.
It can be as in-your-face obvious as the bruises and broken bones from a pummeling or, at the other extreme, as inconspicuous as the emotional turmoil that results when a controlling partner forbids socializing outside of the relationship.
As Kennebecasis Valley High School students have discovered, thanks to a provincial program called Making Waves, abuse can take many forms and is not always as dramatic as a slap or a punch.
But no matter how subtle, the emotional damage remains significant.
Last week a troupe of five student couples - The KV Making Waves Team - presented a 45-minute play titled The Many Faces of Abuse for fellow students from area high schools and representatives from several groups including the Urban Core Support Network and the Community Health Centre.
Ellen Campbell, a Grade 11 KVHS student, and nine of her colleagues took to the stage to educate their peers about dating violence as seen through the eyes of 10 individuals, both victims and perpetrators, in abusive relationships. The topic was, fittingly, presented in the school’s darkened theatre. As each actor told his or her story in snippets, a flashlight illuminated only the speaking face.
In the vignettes, Ellen played Carey, a closeted lesbian in a relationship with a self-confident outed partner named Jessie, played by Katie Loughery.
The performance of the two women clearly illustrates on of the most insidious forms of abuse: causing a friend to fell shame and unworthiness.
Carey’s aloofness and indifference toward her partner leaves Jessie felling sad and hurt as, in the end, Carey, who’s unable to endure the pressure of her gossiping colleagues chooses to dump Jessie and go back to her old boyfriend, simply because it’s easier.
The other extreme is the relationship between Joanne, played by Lauren Estey, and Kenny, portrayed by Andrew Britten.
They are involved in a physically abusive association that ends with Kenny killing Joanne’s pet cat, and Joanne killing herself to escape her abusive partner.
Following the play, the team made a power-point presentation with the help of the school’s tech crew, that questioned the use of scantily-clad men and women to sell a variety of products, from perfume to hair-care products.
The concept of Making Waves was developed 10 years ago by three women, all of whom have years of experience in the violence against women through transition houses and the sexual assault centre.
Every year, New Brunswick high schools are invited to take part in an annual Waves weekend where high school students and teachers learn to recognize the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Students who attend return to their respective schools armed with an action plan to raise awareness.
Ms. Campbell, a team member, credits the program for prompting students to recognize cycles of abuse and how to help a friend who might be caught up in an unhealthy relationship.
"Violence doesn’t discriminate," she said.
"And it’s certainly not exclusive to KVHS, it affects the whole community. We’re trying to stop the problem of violence by addressing it."
"It’s really appreciated by the students. I was really excited to become a member of the team."