February Marks Teen Dating Abuse Awareness Month
Unity House is participating in the national Love is Respect campaign to raise awareness about dating abuse and promote the importance of healthy relationships. Orange is the signature color of Teen Dating Abuse Awareness; February 10 is the day to wear orange.
In February and beyond, the Unity House Domestic Violence Services Program will be visiting schools, youth groups and community centers to help raise awareness about the issue of Teen Dating Abuse, educating on the importance of healthy relationships throughout life, and sharing resources for help. Unity House’s Domestic Violence Services Program has long been a resource in area schools help with this issue.
The NY State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence is another key partner in fight against dating abuse and domestic violence. For 2015, they have created a video to share in schools across the state. Milinda Reed, program director for Unity House’s Domestic Violence Services Program says, “We are so excited that our local community has been a part of OPDV’s ICanDoSomethingCampaign. This important video and campaign will help spread the word to teens and communities across the State about the signs and dangers of teen dating violence and what can be done to bring awareness to this important issue. Helping teens learn about and build healthy relationships is key in the fight against both teen dating violence and adult domestic violence. I strongly encourage all middle and high schools to incorporate this video as well as comprehensive teen dating violence and healthy relationship education into their curriculum in the month of February and all year long.”
The goal is to share the message that love has many definitions, but abuse isn’t one of them.
For more information on how you can be involved, contact our Volunteer Desk at (518) 274-2607, x4135 or volunteer@unityhouseNY.org
For help with dating abuse or domestic violence call the Unity House Domestic Violence Hotline at (518) 272-2370 or the NYS Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-942-6906.