Active Relationships Center

The initial research on the HARP project examined pre and post test surveys from participants who attended an Active Communication class in one of eight locations across the state of Texas. Eighty percent of participants were of Hispanic descent, while sixty-three percent had Spanish as their first language.

National Healthy Marriage Resource Center featured HARP in a case study analysis regarding marketing and outreach in Hispanic Communities.

Baylor University reports findings on the effectiveness of Active Communication during HARP workshops.

The goal of the Hispanic Active Relationships Project (HARP) was to improve relationship skills and knowledge for couples, youth and singles in Cameron County, TX through workshops and events. Workshop participants came from a wide variety of education and income levels. During the five-year project, 5,800 people attended more than 300 Active Communication, Active Money Personalities, Active Romance and Intimacy and Active Relationships for Young Adults workshops. The research showed statistically significant changes for couples on all measures and the majority of measures for youth and singles, meaning these groups all developed a more meaningful understanding of the attitudes and skills that healthy, long-lasting relationships require. Through these workshops, 189 facilitators (leaders) were trained to continue to help build positive and strong relationships for others in the community.

Published in 2009 by the Department of Health and Human Services’s Office of Family Assistance, a review of select grantees, “Emerging Findings from the Office of Family Assistance Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grant Programs: A Review of Select Grantee Profiles and Promising Results,” focused on the Hispanic Active Relationships Project (HARP) of Cameron County, Texas. HARP offers programs in both English and Spanish, serves over 1,000 Hispanic families per year through peer mentoring for couples and weekend retreats, and emphasizes the importance of marriage education and the development of healthy relationship skills. For more information, please review the PDF article.

The TLC: Building Healthy Relationship Program, a program of Holyoke/Chicopee/Springfield Head Start, Inc. has been using the Active Relationship Curriculum in its Head Start Healthy Marriage Program since March of 2007. The TLC Program provides services to its Early Head Start, Head Start, Migrant Head Start, and Community partners. Twelve staff completed 3 day training with the author of Active Relationships, Kelly Simpson, in January of 2007. Since completing that training, 13 more staff have been trained through the out of the box certification kit. TLC has graduated over 260 participants in the Active Relationship workshops, which include teen parents, couples, and individuals. Currently the TLC program is running eight groups utilizing the Active Relationship Curriculum. TLC has used the Active Relationships for Young Adult Curriculum as well as the Active Adult Curriculum in English and in Spanish. TLC’s participants report gaining knowledge of communication skills, money management skills, and anger management skills. Overall, TLC has have had great feedback and tremendous success with adapting the curriculum to meet the individual needs of all of its programs.

Dr. Preston M. Dyer and Dr. Kim Kotrla
Baylor University, School of Social Work
Waco, Texas

Over three years, Baylor University collected data from 353 young adults, 286 of which were included in data analysis. Participants ranged from 14 to 21 years old.

Thirteen items consistently demonstrated significant change each year. These items are:

Amanda Weatherby, M. A.
Fuller Theological Seminary, Graduate School of Psychology
Pasadena, California

159 young adults participated in the the pilot research for Active Relationships for Young Adults curriculum. Participants ranged from 10 to 19 years old.

Findings showed that:

Baylor University was selected to research ARC curricula based upon its dedication to the field of research. Being identified as one of the most productive universities for research in the nation, Baylor has continued to further academic knowledge in several areas, including social work, family wellness, and relationship/marriage education. Through the Department of Social Work, Dr. Preston Dyer and Dr. Kim Kotrla, co-researched ARC curricula and conducted follow-up research on the Hispanic Active Relationships Project marriage education and youth programs in Brownsville, Texas. Both Dr. Dyer and Dr. Kotrla share a passion for families and the development of healthy marriage education. For more information, please visit www.baylor.edu