News Post

Healthy Relationships
John Morgan

Earlier this month, Vista students and members gathered at the Madison campus for the first Healthy Relationships Workshop. We are very fortunate to welcome Emily Ent, New Haven Youth Development Specialist and Educator, as the workshop series instructor. As a Certified Health Education Specialist, Emily’s expertise and experience was apparent in how engaging and entertaining she made a topic as complex as relationships.

The first workshop on March 12th focused on types of relationships, discussing how healthy habits can be applied to all kinds of relationships, from acquaintance to partner. We spoke to Amy Mullen, Engage Program Lead, about the importance of the Healthy Relationships Workshop. “The workshops are open to both the Discover students and the Engage members,” Amy told us, “We want everyone to have access to such valuable information.  The topics support the health and safety of our students and members, reinforcing skills such as advocating for themselves, setting boundaries, using their voice, and listening to their intuition.”
 

Instructor Emily Ent at the first Healthy Relationships Workshop


“I noticed at the first workshop, that many students and members were engaged in the training.  When the presenter asked questions or asked for real life examples, people would raise their hands and share their own stories.” Throughout the course of the workshop, Emily Ent and our students and members will be discussing topics such as dating online and in person, break ups, and STI’s. While some of the topics focus on committed relationships, the workshop also covers aspects of everyday relationships like communication skills, respect, trust, equality, and boundaries.

Building and maintaining a healthy relationship is not a simple task for anyone, especially as relationships grow, evolve, and hit rough patches. Having a safe, inclusive forum where people can ask difficult questions is an invaluable resource for our students and members, and we hope that the next ten workshops will be just as informative and enjoyable as the first.

Until next time…