The Peer Leaders Go Viral - RESPECTfully!

The RESPECTfully campaign is the first teen dating and sexual violence prevention campaign run by the Commonwealth of MA in nearly 20 years. It centers around three simple words: Respect Everyone Fully.

The campaign was launched in May of 2019, after much hard work by the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, partners in the Legislature, and community-based sexual and domestic violence programs.

The RESPECTfully campaign has allowed programs such as ours to be created and flourish - providing us not only with structural support, but also endless amounts of inspiration! So when we heard that their marketing company was looking for teen actors…well obviously we had to audition!

Two of our peer leaders, Morine Alexandre and Bradley Mesidor were chosen to star in a video campaign about boundaries - a topic that is near and dear to their peer leader hearts! They travelled to Boston, where they got to record voiceovers as a part of the campaign’s social media push to create vignettes that demonstrate typical teenage interactions with conflict resolutions to encourage compassionate, respectful behavior on and offline. You can see their performance as Kara and Jake in the video below, as Kara learns to navigate setting boundaries with her extroverted friend, Tash!

For more videos or information, check out the RESPECTfully website, www.mass.gov/RESPECTfully which offers parents, caregivers, teachers, coaches, guardians and beyond the resources to learn more about the issues, how to talk to young people about these difficult topics and where to turn for help if you are concerned about the health or safety of a young person you know.