Photo Credit: Seth Sawyers

One in 4 adolescents reports verbal, emotional, physical or sexual dating violence each year. (CDC 2011) Chances are, there’s someone in one of your classes that is in an abusive relationship. You can help them as February, Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention month (TDVAPM), rolls in.

Celebrating the month in your school is a great way to spread awareness about dating violence and help that someone in need. Here are some ideas to get started:

Make periodic school announcements. By taking advantage of a school PA system, you can reach a large audience in an easy way. Researching facts about teen dating violence and delivering those facts to your peers via intercom is a simple way of getting them thinking about teen dating violence.

Advertise in the building. Ask for permission to hang posters in busy or crowded areas around the school. You can make your own or download posters and flyers here. Feel free to give out our phone number, 1-866-331-9474, for 24 hours a day assistance and support. The same goes if they text “loveis” to 77054. Posting these numbers around the school may give a classmate the resource they need.

Use technology. Make a PowerPoint presentation with statistics, stories and resources and get it posted on your school’s website. Create a public service announcement about teen dating violence so students have a visual representation of the message that is accessible at any time. There are plenty of PSAs already on youtube for some ideas.

Ask teachers to discuss dating abuse in class. Give teachers the materials to inform your peers about teen dating violence. The official TDVAPM website contains education resources. If teachers presented the information in class, it would be a step towards raising awareness. Teachers can have profound effects on the lives of their students. By encouraging students to seek help for themselves or for friends or by giving them the tools to be a role model, teachers can aid in the fight against teen dating violence.

Use public events to raise awareness. Schools always have sports events, performances and other programs happening. Using these events to appear in front of a crowd with a message can be an effective way to raise awareness in your school. Getting permission to give a quick message at the halftime of a sports game or the intermission of a play is an opportunity to let people know about teen dating abuse. If possible, organizing an event during February specifically for Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month can be a fun, informative event to spark interest. This event could include games, performances, speakers, art shows and anything in between.

Get your local community leaders involved. This can be as easy as sending a letter or making a phone call. Politicians have heavy influence on everyday life, whether that be by signing legislation or making public statements. By gaining the support of your local politicians, you can attract more attention to your cause. Call your local city hall or school board and ask to speak at the next meeting on behalf of your school. Show the community what your school has done to spread the message.

Raising awareness in your school begins with your efforts. There are many sources to help start the fight against dating violence. Every peer in your school deserves the right to be in a healthy relationship, and you never know who you could help this February.

kchilton Uncategorized

Jordan Coleman's Film "Payin' the Price"

Can your phone shoot video? What about your computer — does it have a built-in camera? If so, check out what one teen did to make Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAPM) more meaningful for his community.

Young filmmaker Jordan Coleman is using his love of movies to speak out about dating abuse during TDVAPM. Jordan, a 16-year-old from Hackensack, New Jersey, is the writer and director of “Payin’ the Price,” a feature length film which focuses on teen dating abuse.

Two years ago, when Chris Brown made headlines for abusing Rihanna, Jordan was moved by all of the coverage of the incident. It was then that he was inspired to create this film about teen dating abuse and its effect on individuals and communities.

“Everyone had an opinion about what happened between Chris and Rihanna,” Jordan said in an interview with Nick Chiles, hosted on Denene Millner’s blog, My Brown Baby. “The incident brought teen dating violence into American homes like never before.”

For him, this was the perfect opportunity to mesh his passion for filmmaking with his passion for making a difference in the community. Today, Jordan is preparing to embark on a 20-city national tour showcasing his project. He hopes that this film will ignite a national dialogue.

Jordan Coleman is a perfect example of a teen using his resources to promote awareness about dating abuse. He used his own time, money and creativity to make an awesome, awareness-raising movie. Using artistic expression — be it writing a poem, painting a picture or writing a song — is a way to convey personal feelings about a topic to a larger audience.

You could make a movie like Jordan did. It doesn’t have to be as large-scale — you can make a two-minute clip and post it to YouTube. Most digital cameras, cell phones and computers now have video cameras built in so it’s easy to make your own film. You can even film yourself or your friends simply talking about the issue, post the video to YouTube or Vimeo and then share it through Facebook. Check out some of our videos to get some ideas for your own.

We want to know how you’re bringing awareness to dating abuse. How are you spreading the word and participating in TDVAPM?

ssizemore awareness

Photo Courtesy: SashaW

As tiring as it is, training is going excellently. We are constantly moving forward. The people training us are fantastic at what they do. They’re passionate and loving and strong, not to mention incredibly gifted. Everyone is working as a powerful team against abuse. If I were someone seeking help, loveisrespect would be my first place to go.

I learned a lot about the resources available to people – adults and teens – looking for help. I, as an advocate, will be ready and able to connect you to any kind of resource, and that is pretty cool. Not only is it my job to do that, but I’m also so happy to do it. I’m slowly catching onto the fact that the people here are so happy with their work, even if it is a little stressful at times.

Learning how to talk to callers and chatters has been one of the more challenging aspects of the training. It’s tough to think on my feet, even if I’m just on a pretend call. The advocates I’ve met and seen in action do it so naturally that it’s weird to think I might be on their level someday.

I’ve also realized how vital friends and family can be to someone in an unhealthy relationship. Those are the people we go to the most, so if they know how to help they can be an invaluable resource. Friends and family of victims call often looking for advice on how to help someone they love. It’s inspiring that they’re courageous enough to stand up for their friend.

I still feel like there’s so much more to learn. I’ll keep you posted on my training, but feel free to call, text or chat with us 24/7!

kchilton peer advocates