DIXFIELD – Adults can set the tone for teen behavior.

That’s one of Dani Tompkins’ beliefs as a member of Voices Committed to Change, a group of young people at Dirigo and Mountain Valley high schools who spoke at a presentation Tuesday night about teenage dating violence.

Tompkins, a junior at Dirigo, is one of about 20 teens who are members of the group that works with Diane Gallagher, the Abused Women’s Advocacy Project and Oxford County Youth Program coordinator.

While the youth group is learning to be strong and about the forms of dating violence, adults remain important.

“We still need their help,” said Heather Dubendris, a student at Mountain Valley High School.

Although only a handful of parents turned out for Tuesday’s event, special guest speaker Sen. Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, and president of the state Senate, said change comes a little at a time.

“As a woman leader, it’s a women’s problem. We have to change the culture,” she said.

Slowly changing societal opinions modified the viewpoint of smoking, drunken driving and other previously accepted behaviors, she said.

“The next thing is violence, violence and dating,” she said. “When I was growing up, if I knew a girl was being beat up, it was private. Of course it’s not private any longer. I am delighted that you are taking this on.”

She told the group not to get discouraged because so few turned out for the awareness presentation.

“Every time you have contact with someone, you give a slightly different perspective,” she said. “We change the world, one person at a time. You can take pride in the fact that it won’t be like this in two weeks, two years, 10 years from now. Things have shifted, things are moving forward. You are part of that progress.”

She said many bills have come before the Legislature dealing with domestic and sexual abuse, but not much has appeared about prevention.

Money had been cut back on such proposals.

“Let’s start putting our money where our mouths are,” she said.

She said three new bills are being proposed in the Legislature dealing with domestic and sexual abuse. Hers deals with further defining domestic violence as not just a single incident, but a series of incidents.

Gallagher said the Voices Committed to Change started as Voices Changing Choices 14 years ago by two Dirigo students who had concerns about issues happening in the school.

The group meets weekly. It also makes presentations to peers, adults and younger students.

“We want a two-way conversation,” said Tompkins. “To learn from you and you from us.”