Hollister Youth Alliance steps up outreach

Educators at Hollister Youth Alliance work year round to help teens suffering from abuse.

This month, they are increasing their outreach because February is “Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.”

For the first time Wednesday, the organization visited Advance Path Academy on the Gilroy High School campus.

It’s one of 6 new schools in the area the organization just added to their outreach list.

Educators speak with students for about an hour. They discuss managing a health relationship and warning signs of dating violence.

“When we think of dating violence, we think of older people living together, maybe with a family, and that’s not always the case,” Hollister Youth Alliance Case Manager Jason Franks said. “This stuff is happening with our students. It’s not only in relationships, it’s sometimes in friendships.”

Frank said incidents of dating violence exceed incidents of bullying and fighting.