Teenagers will be asking their cohorts about "true love" at tonight's midnight premiere of "New Moon," using the vampire film's portrayal of self-destructive behavior to promote healthy relationships.

Students affiliated with Start Strong Idaho will survey film-goers from 10 p.m. to midnight at Edwards Downtown Boise, the Majestic Theater in Meridian and Edwards Nampa.

"'New Moon' is a pop-culture tsunami," said Julia Sharkey of Parma, a Start Strong Idaho Teen Council member, in a news release.

Start Strong Idaho also has tips for parents on how to talk to their kids about relationships and the film.

Instead of the "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" T-shirts modeled on the movie's vampire boyfriend, Edward, and soon-to-be-werewolf Jacob, Start Strong Idaho members are donning "Team Respect" shirts.

"We are going to wear Team Respect T-shirts to the premiere and give out Team Respect buttons," said David Trompke, a Start Strong teen from Boise. "It's a cool way to talk to younger teens about healthy relationships."

In the wake of the "Twilight" books, which have sold 70 million copies, and the first "Twilight" movie, which grossed $384 million, Start Strong Idaho sees the release of "New Moon" as a way to engage kids about relationships without invading privacy.

“Teens with Start Strong Idaho see 'New Moon' as a great opportunity to talk to pre-teens and young teens about healthy and unhealthy relationships,” said Kelly Miller, project director for Start Strong Idaho. “It is also a teachable moment for parents and their pre-teens and young teens. Teens will talk to each other about relationships, but are less likely to talk to their parents about their crushes or ask their advice about that boy or girl that they’re involved with.”

In "New Moon," vampire-boyfriend Edward leaves Bella because he is afraid he will hurt her. Bella turns to soon-to-be-werewolf friend Jacob for support, and then engages in self-destructive behaviors like riding motorcycles too fast and jumping off a cliff, sure that if she is at risk of death, Edward will return.

Start Strong Idaho was recently chosen as one of 11 sites from more than 500 organizations nationwide to receive $1 million as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships. The effort is the largest prevention initiative ever to find new ways to empower 11 to 14 year olds to break the cycle of violence.

Start Strong Idaho's partners include the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence, St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, the Idaho Department of Education, and youth programs, health care providers, and teen dating abuse service providers.

Start Strong Idaho offers the following tips for parents:

• Ask what your pre-teen or young teen thinks are the characteristics of a healthy relationship? (Characteristics of healthy relationships are respect, safety, support, individuality, fairness & equality, acceptance, honesty & trust, and communication.)

• Who has a healthier relationship -- Bella and Jacob or Bella and Edward? Why?

• What qualities do you see in their relationships? (The relationship between Bella and Jacob has more fairness and equality.) (Edward “protects” Bella -- but does Bella really feel safe with Edward? Is Edward doing more than “protecting Bella.” Is he obsessively controlling her? Is that healthy?)

• Edward is portrayed as the perfect boyfriend -- totally devoted, utterly protective, completely loving. But there’s also a bit of obsession and even some controlling behavior. What do you think of that?

• Bella is smart, independent, and relatively self-assured. But she also always seems to need rescuing. Bella is also accident-prone nature is part of what appeals to Edward? Does he get to play the hero?

• Edward and Bella draw the line at kissing. How realistic do your kids think that is for 17-year-olds? And in New Moon, Bella would rather be turned into a vampire than get married to Edward? What does that say?

For more information on Start Strong Idaho and promoting healthy pre-teen and young teen relationships, contact Miller at the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence 208 384-0419.