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SLCC strengthens communities through marriage skills workshop



Cynthia Jijon and Jordan Jensen were born worlds apart: She in Ecuador and he in Utah. After dating for two years, they married in March. But first, they completed an SLCC marriage course to strengthen their union.

“We’ve combined each other’s differences and, with this class, we’re hoping to celebrate those differences rather than worry about them,” Cynthia says.

Dubbed “Passport to Love,” the program is a partnership between SLCC and the Utah Marriage Commission, which funds it. It’s designed to educate married and engaged couples, to arm them with techniques and tools to help their marriages thrive. The overarching principle behind the program is that stronger marriages make stronger communities.

Passport to Love is composed of five evening workshops designed as a series of fun date nights once per week. Each is based on a theme of world travel, with 15 couples per workshop. So far, nearly 80 couples have been through the program at Taylorsville Redwood Campus. It kicked off in 2018.


In addition to food and small travel-themed prizes, the workshops teach techniques and communication tools to improve marriage relationships and overcome challenges. That includes de-escalation techniques for heated conversations, identifying personality pitfalls (in oneself, not one’s partner), role play and learning to manage expectations.

“It was a way for me to improve in some areas,” Jordan says. “I think this class has helped us to know who we want to be and what kind of marriage that we want to have.”

The workshops utilize PREP (Prevention Relationship Enhancement Program) curriculum, based on over 30 years of research and testing and geared toward enhancing intimacy, connection and commitment in relationships. Passport to Love is directed by Family and Human Studies Associate Professor Mark Jarvis, who also is a governor-appointee to the Utah Marriage Commission.


For more information, visit passporttolove.org.

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