24-Hour Helplines:  Phone: (919) 967-7273  Text: (919) 967-7273 

Start Strong

Start Strong helps teens develop an understanding of consent and healthy relationships.

Start Strong

Start Strong helps teens develop an understanding of consent and healthy relationships.

The Start Strong program consists of multi-session programs for adolescents in middle and high school. We use an evidence-informed primary prevention model to empower students to stand against sexual violence in their schools and communities. The sessions build on one another and are not designed to be offered separately. Programs meet North Carolina standards for healthful living. Conversations that start with learning your own bodily autonomy and boundaries eventually shift to how these ideas apply to treating and respecting others. All programs are available in English and Spanish.

Our Partner Schools
OSC Middle and High School CHCCS Middle and High School
Durham Academy
Duke School
Willow Oak Montessori

Start Strong Programs

We offer our educational programs in both English and Spanish, including a curriculum for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Programs for Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are offered free of charge. Outside OCS and CHCCS, we offer programs at an hourly rate, with additional access through a sliding scale. Please do not let cost be a barrier to bringing this content to your group. Contact us for more information.

Start strong online: Flirting, Not hurting

Ages 11-14 | 45 Minutes - 1 Hour
In this online workshop, tweens will learn to define sexual harassment, recognize the difference between harassment and flirting, and express what healthy flirting looks and feels like to them. This is a live, interactive webinar lasting 45 minutes to one hour for youth of all genders ages 11-14.

Start strong online: sex should be

Ages 14-18 | 45 Minutes - 1 Hour
In this online workshop, teens will learn to define consent and it’s elements, reflect on their wants and values related to healthy sexuality, and learn tools for preventing sexual violence and supporting survivors in their own lives. This is a live, interactive webinar lasting 45 minutes to one hour for youth of all genders ages 14-18.

Flirting, Not hurting

Ages 11-14 | 45 minutes each session
This four-session program addresses sexual harassment and bullying by modeling healthy relationships. We build skills for prevention by recognizing harassment; understanding verbal and nonverbal communication of boundaries; developing empathy for victims and accountability for harassers; thinking critically about media representations of flirting, harassment, and gender stereotypes; and empowering students with strategies for intervention.

Only Yes Means YEs

Ages 14-18 | 50 minutes each session
This two-session program promotes skills for seeking and assessing consent. With comprehensive definitions of sexual assault and consent, we build skills for prevention by understanding verbal and nonverbal communication of boundaries and by critically assessing barriers to consent such as alcohol use, emotional manipulation, and more. An optional third session builds empathy and support skills for survivors while practicing strategies for holding peers accountable when they demonstrate inappropriate behaviors and attitudes.

Parent + Caregiver Resources

Start Strong Videos

Bring the Start Strong curriculum from the classroom to your home with our Start Strong Online videos! All videos are made to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Lesson Guides

Find Parent + Caregiver Lesson Guides, which include overviews of curriculum, to accompany all Start Strong Online videos.

Request a Start Strong Program

For Additional Information

Please contact us at info@ocrcc.org for more information.