Missoula County program uses 'Power Up Speak Out' curriculum to teach consent and boundaries in middle schools

Jessica Cook said the county's healthy-relationships program uses a curriculum called Power Up Speak Out to teach middle-school students the basics of consent, boundaries and respectful behavior before they enter high school.

"It teaches middle school students about kind of the bare bones of what a healthy relationship is...and then each lesson builds upon it about power and control and consent," Cook said, describing the program's structure and goals.

Speakers noted additional efforts to train local professionals—law enforcement, teachers and social-service providers—so students have trusted adults and systems that understand how to respond. They also said the county collaborates with Missoula Public Health and the University of Montana's social-work department to provide internships and train-the-trainer opportunities.

Guests encouraged educators and community members to promote language and boundary-setting with youth and pointed listeners to Power Up Speak Out and local public-health resources for guidance.