Teen helps peers promote healthy relationships

Ariel Ramstad became interested in promoting healthy relationships because of domestic violence in her home as a child, and she’s active in Peers Educating and Advocating for Changing Expectations group for high school students.

“I kind of grew up with Violence Free Crisis Line being part of my life,” said Ramstad, now a junior at Columbia Falls High School. Her mom used to run the PEACE project and she accompanied her to meetings when she was a child.

Now, she’s a leader in PEACE, a teen violence-prevention program with youths from high schools around the Flathead Valley that helps youth empower each other through peer education. PEACE volunteers work to ensure that all youth have the tools to understand their rights and assert them.

The group consists of all girls at this point, although boys are encouraged to join as well.

“It’s for anyone who wants to make a change,” Ramstad said. “We like men, that’s for sure. We talk about them all the time.

The program is sponsored by the Violence Free Crisis Line/Abbie Shelter, a United Way member agency that provides services for victims of domestic violence, rape, incest and child abuse.

Violence Free Crisis Line/Abbie Shelter is one of the many agencies and services that benefit from the local United Way campaign, which continues through Dec. 31.

The theme of the campaign is “Touch a Life” and the monetary goal is $850,000.

So far, $468,145 — 55 percent of the goal — has been raised.

Last year, United Way member agencies helped nearly 57,000 people in need. Ninety-nine percent of all funds raised stay in local communities to help local citizens.

Ramstad has been a member of the PEACE project throughout her high school years. Peace volunteers make presentations around the Flathead Valley to youngsters, starting in middle school.

Topics include dating violence/healthy relationships, sexual harassment, date rape, acquaintance rape, gender stereotyping, and violence in the media.

“I joined because I wanted to start at what I believe is the source of abuse,” Ramstad said. “That’s where it usually all starts. You have to date someone before you marry them.”

The potential for abuse often shows up in the early stages of a relationship, Ramstad said, and volunteers can help young people identify the potential for trouble in the future.

Volunteers go through training to help them teach their peers about issues related to domestic violence, to answer questions and sometimes just to serve as a listening ear.

Often, students have questions about their own relationships and whether behavior they are experiencing may be abusive.

“The majority of questions come from normal everyday, cheerleader-type girl,” she said. “It’s not like they live this fairy tale.”

Ramstad said working with PEACE has helped her in her everyday life in high school.

“I see abusive relationships all the time,” she said. “Is helped me make the distinction between what’s OK and what’s not OK. And you always have the right to say no.”

Ramstad said she believes the program helps young people develop and maintain healthy relationships, whether it’s in a dating context, friendships or in their family.

“I definitely think it’s effective,” she said. “Some people will think it’s a big joke, but if you can just reach one person or many two or three, then you’re helping people and that’s what really matters.”

Ramstad eventually hopes to become an attorney specializing in helping victims of domestic violence, and she plans to continue her volunteer efforts after high school.

“I know that I’ll volunteer for anything that’s involved in preventing dating violence or domestic abuse, because it’s something I feel very strongly about,” she said.

In addition to the Violence Free Crisis Line/Abbie Shelter, current United Way member agencies are Big Brothers and Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs of Glacier Country, Boy Scouts, Eagle Transit, First Call for Help-Help Net, Flathead CARE, Flathead Food Bank, Flathead Youth Home, Girl Scouts, Head Start, Literacy Volunteers, Mental Health Crisis Line, Nurturing Center, Retired & Senior Volunteer Program, Samaritan House, Sinopah House, Special Friends Advocacy Program and the Summit Independent Living Center

Services of the United Way include CASA for Kids, Disaster Care Services, Leaders of Tomorrow and the United Way Volunteer Center.

The United Way also supports the following emergency food and shelter programs: Bread Basket, Community Harvest Food Bank, DOVES, Helping Hands, Hot Springs Food Pantry, Lake County Mental Health Center, Libby Food Pantry, Mission Valley Food Pantry, Neighbors in Need, Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry, Salvation Army Feeding Program, Thompson Falls Food Pantry and Troy Food Pantry.

Donors may choose how to donate, including cash, payroll deductions, charging to a credit card, direct billing or through automatic bank transfers.

Donors also may designate which member agencies or non-affiliated partner agencies or the Montana Shares Federation they want to receive their gift.

For more information on the United Way campaign, call 752-7266. Donations may be mailed to P.O. Box 7217, Kalispell, MT 59904.