A Roadmap to Healthy Relationships and Consent Education in New York State

Day One is a youth-focused nonprofit organization working to end dating abuse and domestic violence in New York State (NYS) through community education, supportive services, legal advocacy, and leadership development. NYS ranks highest in the US for high school students who have experienced dating violence and falls behind 22 states in passing legislation on healthy relationships education or dating abuse prevention. Day One engaged a Capstone team to assist in the research and development of a roadmap to healthy relationships and consent education in NYS. Initially, the team delivered a report containing public opinion research, case analyses of legislation and lessons learned, and analysis of the current political landscape in NYS. Midway through the project, Governor Cuomo unveiled the 2019 Women’s Justice Agenda—a comprehensive set of proposals including healthy relationships education for middle and high schoolers. With this momentum, the team pivoted from research to creating advocacy tools for the new bills, which will help Day One and its coalition advance their policy goal.