Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month!

As most know, February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month! The entire month is dedicated to raising awareness about teens, and their dating relationships, and putting a stop to dating violence before it even starts. Dating violence is more common than people think, especially among teens & young adults. 1 in 3 U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from someone they’re in a relationship with before becoming adults.

The theme this year is “Love Like That”. The “that” means what you are looking for in a relationship. We want our teens to know what is healthy and unhealthy before or when looking for a partner, and this is what we present in the local high schools we visit. We encourage everyone to wear orange this month or specifically on the 6th, orange shows solidarity and raises awareness about dating violence!

If you know someone who is experiencing or who has experienced teen dating violence, please give them resources to get help! Dove offers counseling for our teens- up to eight 90-minute sessions without parental consent. We even have a support group on Tuesday nights at 5:30 p.m., so you can talk about what is going on in a comfortable and confidential space.

If you would like to know information about teen dating violence, you can visit loveisrespect.org!

#TDVAM2024

Danielle Cunningham, Education and Awareness Supervisor

Comments

You don't have to be able to Dance to do Baskets

Growing up in the world of dance, one of my favorite things to do each year is participate in The Nutcracker Ballet. My favorite part? Giving the audience a magical Christmas experience with the perfect setting of lights, music, glittery costumes, and refined steps by ballerinas. The audience is transported to a magical land of sweets that makes even adults feel like small children in awe and wonder. Of course, that’s just what the audience sees! What they don’t see is the months and months before hand! Long rehearsals, bandage wrapped dance feet, and stage and tech crews working tirelessly so that every detail before the final show is perfected. After several years, I have started comparing the Christmas Baskets Process to that of the process for The Nutcracker Ballet. Starting months and months before, staff and volunteers work endlessly for the exhilarating distribution week to come. With that said, the magical essence of the Ballet experience cannot happen with just the prim

“have you talked to a trained domestic violence advocate?"

Have you ever had a victim of domestic violence try and open-up to you about their abuse and you not know what to say or how to handle it? Have you found yourself asking a victim of domestic violence, “why do you stay?” Moultrie County Dove Office understands that without being properly trained on domestic violence and best domestic violence practices, it is hard to know what to say or do when a victim of domestic violence finally decides to open-up to you about their abuse and we want you to be better prepared. Asking a victim of domestic violence “why do you stay” can place emphasis in the wrong place and make the victim feel as if they have done something wrong. In all actuality, there are many reasons victims of domestic violence stay in and return to abusive relationships. Victims of domestic violence stay in abusive relationships for fear for their personal safety and the safety and well-being of their children. Statistics show that a victim of domestic violence is at a 75%

Doing our part to make a difference.

With so much talk everywhere on issues of violence, once again a topic discussed at the CONO (Coalition Of Neighborhood Organizations) meeting this past month in wonder of how to stop violence from happening in our community. Let’s consider narrowed down, violence begins in neighborhoods, no matter where they are. Cities including Decatur, have Stop The Violence campaigns and rallies in order to take a stand and to bring positivity and hope which is so important! But I wonder, doesn’t the remedy lay within each one of us? We must not close our eyes or turn a deaf ear, right, and when we see something, yes, we must say something, but isn’t there more? Doesn’t there need to be hands reaching out to one another in solidarity and hope with a goal in mind like the future of our family, neighborhood and ultimately our world. It begins in a neighborhood, your neighborhood and mine. So, if you don’t already have an active neighborhood group in your area, will you consider starting one? If so

Dove, Inc.

Search This Blog