OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER TEENS TO MEET THEIR #RELATIONSHIPGOALS

#RelationshipGoals is committed to creating research-based and up-to-date courses that support healthy personal and interpersonal teen relationships. We are continuously working to identify the most effective learning methods and meet the online educational needs of teens and the adults who mentor and support them as they strive to have healthy relationships. 

How We Began

#RelationshipGoals was created in a collaboration between K-State faculty and a school district in central Kansas that saw a need for improved interpersonal and self-regulation skills for their middle and high schoolers. Existing relationship education curriculum was not matching the current needs of the community, resulting in the development of the #RelationshipGoals Project. Then during COVID, #RG adapted to provide flexible delivery options online as well as in person and enhanced our focus on bolstering the mental health of the youth we serve. We will keep evolving and updating the curriculum to help prepare teens and the adults who care about them to meet the constantly changing challenges of today.

Our Qualifications

Our Qualifications

Our Qualifications

Our Qualifications

Our Qualifications

In collaboration with K-12 educators and staff, these courses were created by scholars and graduate students with degrees in family science, human development, and couple and family therapy. The content in these courses is informed by the research on teen development, parenting, mental health, healthy relationship development, violence prevention, healthy sexuality, socioemotional skill development, and much more. Unlike many relationship education courses, #RelationshipGoals was developed by researchers exploring the keys to supporting healthy youth development, mental health practitioners working to address the mental and relationship health issues they see as  in their communities, and educators hoping to support the students they see daily. 

A FEW NOTES FROM OUR DEVELOPERS

"My own struggles to have healthy relationships as a teen and young adult has led to a career trying to help others find the information I wish I had. Now as a parent and therapist, I can see the critical role caring adults had in my ability to find the help I needed to change my trajectory."
Amber Vennum
"Relationships effect our physical, emotional, and mental health and well-being. Unfortunately, many of us struggle with relationships because we haven’t been taught how to navigate them. I want to help teens and young adults learn the skills they need to have healthy relationships. "
Michelle Toews
"We shouldn’t wait until teens get into unhealthy relationships to intervene. I believe we should empower teens and young adults with the knowledge to navigate relationship challenges head on & that they will be healthier and more fulfilled for having learned healthy relationship skills early on."
Kristin Anders

Current and Past Program Developers

  • Michelle Toews, PhD
  • Amber Vennum, PhD
  • Kristin Anders, PhD
  • Shelby Astle, PhD
  • Corey Johnson, MS
  • Sarah Keegan, MS
  • Loren Taylor, MS
  • Katlin Brown, MS
  • Vanessa Eberle, BS
  • Kimberly May, MS
  • Paige McAllister, PhD
  • Bri Craig, MS
  • Chelsey Torgerson, PhD
  • Eric Goodcase, PhD
  • Sarah Colburn, MS
  • Michelle Washburn-Busk, PhD
  • Paige Kean, PhD
  • Eliana Gueron, MS
  • Zenobia Aziz Charania, MS
  • Annie Wehling, BS

The #RG Project has been made possible by funding through the US Department of Health and Human Services. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this website are those of the developers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.