Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month- February 4th is Time to Talk Day

This month gives us an opportunity to shed light on a very devastating epidemic. 1 in 3 teens will experience some form of dating violence this year. 

And dating violence can happen to any teen, any race, any place, any time. 

Dating violence can be emotional, sexual, financial, digital, stalking, verbal, and/or physical.

And Today is Time to Talk Day:

Conversations about healthy relationships are happening all across the country on NO MORE Silence: It's Time To Talk Day! 

Get Involved:

• Pledge to have a conversation with a young person in your life about healthy relationships on It's Time To Talk Day, Feb. 4, 2014. See where conversations and events are happening nationwide
• Tell two people about It's Time To Talk Day, and encourage them to do the same! Tools to help start the conversation
• Become an advocate: Join the Love Is Not Abuse Coalition, a group of thousands of healthy relationship advocates who have made it their mission to bring education and other dating abuse prevention resources to their families and communities. Click here to join.
• Attend (and invite friends to) a Talk-A-Thon near you! Break the Cycle will host a national Talk-A-Thon in New York City that anyone can participate in and support. Click here for details and to RSVP!
• Host an It's Time To Talk Day Talk-A-Thon in your community!These dynamic conversation events will bring groups of parents and advocates, large and small, together to learn, share and talk about this important issue. The Talk-A-Thon Guide has everything you need to host your own.

Click here for more information on Time to Talk Day

About the Day:

Hosted by Break the Cycle's Love Is Not Abuse Campaign, It’s Time To Talk Day is an annual awareness day that aims to generate conversations about healthy relationships and prevent teen dating violence and abuse.

Starting a conversation about a tough topic can be hard. Sometimes a good book can help start the difficult discussion. Break From You is a young adult novel that focuses on teen dating abuse.

Click here to check out the discussion questions for a book group or classroom. 

Join me throughout the month of February in raising awareness. 

The history of Teen DV month:

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, they began dedicating the entire month of February to teen dating violence awareness and prevention. 

Speak Out Against Teen Dating Abuse and VOTE

1 in 3 teens have been in an abusive relationship.

Dating abuse might be one of the most common forms of violence among young adults, but it isn't common for people to talk about it. Now is our chance. Love is Respect/Break the Cycle has been nominated for the Chase Community Giving Award. There are 25 amazing charities nominated for the award and it's sad we have to pick just one, but I urge you to vote for Break the Cycle. It could mean $1 million to help raise awareness and end dating abuse. And most importantly, it could help start the conversation about dating abuse on millions of couches. Let's stand up and speak out against dating abuse.

Break the Cycle (loveisrespect.org) believes everyone--no matter who they are, where they’re from or who they love--has the right to safe and healthy relationships.

VOTE NOW    

and watch the awards on Dec. 8, Saturday 8/7c on NBC!

Through Chase Community Giving, Chase has donated over $28 million in grants to thousands of charities across all 50 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. The American Giving Awards showcases the important work of many of these charities.

Join me in standing up and speaking out against dating abuse

and bullying

 

The Speak Out Against...Book Tour Continues

Head on over to C. Lee McKenzie's blog The Write Game where she is featuring the tour and our books. After spending some time there, make sure you continue on to Robyn Campbell's blog, Putting Pen to Paper. Robyn is interviewing Susan and me on bullying, dating abuse, and our books.

Thank you, C. Lee McKenzie and Robyn Cambell for standing with us and Speaking out against bullying and dating abuse!

Putting Pen to Paper, The Journey of Picture Book and Middle Grade Author, Robyn Campbell.

The Write Game by C. Lee McKenzie is a writer who captures the pulse of adolescent confusion in her Young Adult fiction, Sliding on the Edge and The Princess of Las Pulgas. She just published her first Middle Grade fantasy titled Alligators Overhead.

A Silent Epidemic

Teen Dating Violence

Although we almost never hear anything about it, teen dating violence is on the rise. Nearly 1 in 3 teens report being abused by their partners and nearly half of all date rapes reported occur among teens.

This last Thursday, September 20, 2012, Katie Couric focused on dating violence during her new talk show. Sharon and Lexie Love, mother and sister of Yeardley Love broke their silence to speak up about Yeardley's murder. Survivor Quasona Cobb spoke about her past abusive relationship, and the show also shared warning signs of dating abuse and how to get help.

Here is a link to the entire show on Katie Couric's website http://www.katiecouric.com/on-the-show/2012/09/20/sharon-lexie-love-and-dating-violence/



Yeardley Love, a young, vibrant college student was found murdered in her apartment on May 3, 2010. Two years later on February 22, 2012, George Huguely, Yeardley's ex-boyfriend, was found guilty of second degree murder and grand larceny. In August, he was sentenced to 23 years for 2nd degree murder and one year for the grand larceny, which are to run concurrently.






Quasona Cobb is survivor of dating violence and an advocate against domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Too many victims remain silent out of embarrassment, ridicule, shame, and fear. But if we don't talk about abuse, the cycle will continue. It is important to raise awareness of this epidemic.


The cycle of abuse- (picture from hearts2heal.com)

"I love you," he said, and I believed that, too. I believed he loved me so much it hurt. But love shouldn't hurt this much. -Brooke Myers from Break From You (coming soon)