; Whereas educating middle school students and their parents about the importance of building healthy relationships and preventing teen dating violence is key to deterring abuse before it begins; Whereas, according to a National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey of the CDC, 80 percent of female rape victims experienced their first rape before the age of 25, and almost half experienced their first rape before the age of 18; Whereas, according to the same National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 26 percent of women and 15 percent of men who were victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime first experienced these or other forms of violence by that partner before the age of 18; Whereas approximately 35 percent of women who were raped as minors were also raped as adults; Whereas developing healthy relationship practices and standards in youth under the age of 18 can be critical to eliminating sexual violence and other forms of intimate partner violence; Whereas teen dating violence is a preventable public health crisis that can negatively impact teens and youth in all parts of the United States; Whereas teens who have experienced dating violence are more than twice as likely as others to consider suicide; Whereas the CDC indicates that there are several community factors, such as poverty, low capital, such as lack of institutions, relationships, and norms that shape a community’s social interactions, poor neighborhood support and cohesion, weak community sanctions against intimate partner violence, and high alcohol outlet density, that place individuals at greater risk for perpetrating intimate partner violence; Whereas the CDC also indicates that community factors, such as neighborhood collective efficacy, and coordination of resources and services among community agencies, may reduce an individual’s risk of perpetrating intimate partner violence