The Women's Interval Home is once again offering a virtual 10-week youth relationship program.
The Zoom sessions will begin in February, which is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.
The program is LGBTQ2S inclusive and is designed to empower and educate youth.
"Our youth relationship program is a preventative program for teens to come together to learn about healthy relationships, how to recognize abuse tactics, create boundaries, and become leaders in our community," said Child and Youth Councillor Veronica Ross.
"No one really teaches you how to be in a loving relationship. It's something we are expected to already know how to do which can be really discouraging because we may not always have healthy relationships being modelled growing up. Emotions are complicated -- even in mature adult relationships."
The program started in 2005. Ross said initially, the program started as an educational resource but also honoured the memory of Jessica Nethery who was killed in 2002 by her ex-boyfriend.
This year will mark the second time the program has gone virtual.
"Last February when we were able to first offer the program we were able to open the program to kids in Lambton County, Chatham, Windsor, and Hamilton because of the virtual platform," said Ross.
Although the program has always been open to all youth, Ross said this year, a male co-facilitator will help with the sessions.
"A benefit to having a male co-facilitator is to hopefully have a wider audience attend the program," said Ross. "Often, our participants have had some experience of violence within their own romantic relationships or violence within their family as a child so this creates an opportunity for our participants to have positive, healthy interactions with both male and female facilitators."
The free program will run from February 2 until April 13 from 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Youth can register for the program by emailing Ross at veronica@womensintervalhome.com.