Written by Izzy Schwam '22
HAVERFORD, Pa. - On Sunday, September 26th, first-year student-athletes were invited to the annual One Love workshop to engage with a powerful film entitled Escalation and to have honest dialogue amongst themselves following the viewing of the video.
The Escalation Workshop educates young people about the warning signs of an abusive relationship. Utilizing peer-facilitators trained by One Love staff, Escalation provides young people with the framework they need to identify the warning signs and the tools to help a friend who may be in an abusive situation. The participants watch a 45-minute film and they break up into small groups to have peer-led discussions about the topic.
The One Love organization was founded after Yeardley Love, a senior at the University of Virginia, was beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend. After her death, her family created One Love, a foundation that educates young people about the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships so that they may seek help before an abusive relationship escalates to violence. One Love's mission statement reads: Love is the most important thing in our lives, yet we are taught very little about it. One Love is on a mission to change that. They educate young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships, empowering them to identify and avoid abuse and learn how to love better.
The discussion leaders from Haverford included: Sarah Cahn (Women's Lacrosse), Maria Krieg (Women's Lacrosse), Roma Hladky (Women's Lacrosse), Nancy Tucker (Women's Lacrosse), Joanna Gengo (Women's Lacrosse), Sam Silverman (Women's Lacrosse), Katherine Ferrance (Women's Lacrosse), Kendall Ozorowski (Women's Soccer), Hannah Friedrich (Women's Soccer), Nikki Kingsland (Softball), Izzy Schwam (Volleyball), Ben Meyers (Men's Lacrosse), Max Elliot (Men's Lacrosse), Thomas Dandino (Men's Lacrosse), Jared Heller (Men's Lacrosse), Joshua Love (Men's Basketball), Luke Smith (Baseball), Aaron Cohen (Men's Soccer), and John Collins (Men's Squash).
Nancy Tucker, a junior on the women's lacrosse team and member of the Haverford One Love Club, was a part of the workshop and has also participated in fundraisers on campus to spread the One Love message.
Tucker noted, "Our biggest fundraiser is in the spring when both lacrosse programs participate in Yards for Yeardley. Athletes track their yards for each practice or run and raise money through family, friends, and other athletes. In the spring of 2020, we ran a total of 2,131,624 Yards for Yeardley."
Tucker also explained that the men's and women's lacrosse teams each have a One Love game to raise awareness for the foundation during their spring seasons. The Haverford One Love Club hopes to expand its reach within the Haverford community this year.
As Tucker explained, "With the help of more volunteers and club members, we hope to engage in even more One Love events this year."
One in three women and one in four men will experience relationship violence in their lifetime, according to the One Love Foundation, but with escalation workshops such as last Sunday's, the hope is to drastically change that statistic. Haverford is one of more than 900 college campuses that has played host an escalation workshop, reaching more than 13,000 people in total.
For more information on the One Love Organization, click here.