education
Relationship violence doesn’t just occur among older adults. According to Loveisrespect.org, “One in three teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by someone they are in a relationship with before they become adults.” In order to spread awareness about this alarming statistic, Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month now occurs every February. Join us in being better allies by doing the following:
Loveisrespect.org has TONS of information about relationships, resources for educators, and fun polls and activities for teens. They will even be hosting a webinar on February 22nd at 2 PM Central for adult allies. Check it out for yourself. You might even learn a thing or two.
Last month, I was asked to read "The DUFF" by Kody Keplinger for work and it opened my eyes to the various challenges teens face today that were nonexistent when I was young. It also helped remind me of the pressures from friends, dating, and school that make a person’s teenage years so stressful. Whether you decide to read "The DUFF" or another recently published book, I hope it will help you learn something new about teens today, while also allowing you to reminisce on the experiences you had during those years as well.
Looking for some inspiration about what to read? Check out Time's Top 10 Young Adult Books here for a list of the most noteworthy young adult and children’s books of 2017.
Whether you check out "Haters Back Off", "Riverdale", "Thirteen Reasons Why", or the multitudes of other new young adult shows on Netflix today, I guarantee you will not only be entertained, but you will also have a lot of original content to discuss with teens, which could pave the way for deeper topics of conversation.
On February 13th, people around the world will be wearing orange, whether it be a t-shirt, hat, shoes, etc. in honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. People are then asked to post pictures of themselves wearing orange on social media with the hashtag #orange4love.
Loveisrespect.org is asking people to post the following announcement on social media on Thursday, February 15th:
“We’d like to remind you that everyone has the right to a healthy and safe relationship free of abuse. And, everyone has a hand in ending dating violence. Love has many definitions, but abuse isn’t one of them! If you or someone you know has a question about a relationship, healthy or unhealthy, visit loveisrespect.org or text “loveis” to 22522. We are here for you 24/7/365! Remember, hands unite when it comes to ending dating violence.”
Loveisrespect.org is asking people to use the hashtags #HandsUnite #DoYourPart #RespectWeek2018#loveisrespect #loveisrespectofficial #teenDVmonth #DoYourPart #TeenDVmonth #orange4love when posting about Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month this February.
Posting on social media is important, but sometimes just having a conversation about what you learned about this month with the people closest to you can be just as impactful.
Intrigued and want to learn more? Check out Loveisrespect.org to learn more about Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and check out https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/teens/relationships/relationships-101/having-healthy-relationship to learn more about healthy relationships from Planned Parenthood.
