Tuesday, January 24, 2012

February Is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness And Prevention Month





Teen Dating Violence (DV) Prevention and Awareness Month is a national effort to raise awareness about abuse in teen and 20-something relationships – and to promote programs that prevent it during the month of February.

The repercussions of teen dating violence are impossible to ignore – they hurt not just the young people victimized but also their families, friends, schools and communities. Throughout February, organizations and individuals nationwide are coming together to highlight the need to educate young people about relationships, teach healthy relationship skills and prevent the devastating cycle of abuse.

For years, young people across the nation have organized to put a stop to dating abuse. With their adult allies, they achieved a major victory in 2005 when the importance of addressing teen dating abuse was highlighted in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The following year, Congress followed the lead of dozens of national, state and local organizations in sounding the call to end dating abuse. Both Chambers declared the first full week in February "National Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Week." Then in 2010, Congress began dedicating the entire month of February to teen dating violence awareness and prevention.

Now in its third year, Teen DV Month is celebrated by leaders in government, student bodies, schools, youth service providers, community-based organizations, parents and more.

It is a wonderful opportunity to share information with your employees about how this issue impacts their families – and those they care about. And clearly no one in your workforce is immune from dating abuse at any age….so it is a great way to open the door. We’ve got information and resources below from our CAEPV Members at Break the Cycle.

To get great information, resources, and ideas for activities, visit the Teen DV Month website from our CAEPV Member Break the Cycle.

To read the Presidential Proclamation of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, click here.

 


Thursday, January 12, 2012

Love Is Not Abuse & Seventeen Magazine: Twitter Chat #WhatLoveMeans




You may not know that nearly 1 in 3 teens this year will be a victim of an abusive relationship. Often, the warning signs – like constantly checking in, name calling or keeping a girlfriend or boyfriend from spending time with family and friends – are so gradual that teens don’t recognize that what they think is “real love” is actually a toxic, controlling and dangerous relationship.

In this month’s issue of Seventeen Magazine, teens are speaking up about the unhealthy relationships they’ve experienced and encouraging their peers to understand what a true relationship should feel like.

Now, our friends at Love Is Not Abuse are taking the conversation to Twitter, and hope you can join them as Love Is Not Abuse and Seventeen Magazine host a series of live Twitter Chats on #Whatlovemeans on Mondays from January 16 through February 6 from 4 – 5 p.m. ET.

These Twitter chats will give teens a chance to get their relationship questions answered by experts and share their thoughts on dating, relationships and what behaviors should (and should never) be accepted from a boyfriend or girlfriend.

The first #Whatlovemeans Twitter chat kicks off Monday, January 16th at 4 p.m. ET and we hope that you and your community can join us and help spread the word!

To join, sign in to your account at www.twitter.com. Search for the hashtag #Whatlovemeans to follow the conversation and add the hashtag to your own tweets to join in.

For more information, check out the announcement on loveisnotabuse.com,  here ,  or pick up this month’s issue of Seventeen Magazine.

Don’t forget to follow them on Twitter (@Love_IsNotAbuse and @SeventeenMag) and check out Love Is Not Abuse on Facebook (www.facebook.com/loveisnotabuse) for more updates.