Healthy relationship skills are not innate. They are learned. Youth deserve to have the skills and knowledge needed to engage in healthy dating relationships. DVCC is offering a wide variety of programs for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, with the goal of educating the community on healthy relationships, particularly young people and those in young people’s lives.
Parents are well positioned to make a difference in their children’s lives. However, in a national on-line survey of parents with children 11-18 years old, nearly half (45%) had not discussed dating violence with their children in the past year. Reasons parents did not discuss dating violence with their children included they thought their children were too young to talk about it, they would not know what to say, and their children would learn about it through experience. We hope this guide helps parents discuss their relationship values and healthy, non-violent relationships with their children.
This resource guide includes the following:
- Important information on teen dating abuse, including statistics and dynamics of power and control
- Warning signs
- Conversation starters
- How to support a child if they disclose abuse
- A relationship assessment
Join individuals around the nation in wearing orange on Tuesday, February 9! Wear Orange Day aims to raise awareness of teen dating abuse and send the message that abuse will not be tolerated.
Take a picture wearing orange with one of Domestic Violence Crisis Center’s Wear Orange Day signs and post on social media with the hashtags #TDVAM #Orange4Love #HealthyRelationshipsAreLearned and tag @DVCCCT. Click the button below to download the Wear Orange Day sign to send a message out about healthy relationships!
The Domestic Violence Crisis Center invites families of middle and high school students to support our “Pizza and a Movie Night” fundraiser on February 11 in honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Buy a pizza from the local restaurant in your town, and we will include a Movie Guide with discussion questions about how relationships are portrayed in four movies: Beauty & the Beast, Grease, Sierra Burgess is a Loser, and For All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Pizzerias will make a donation to support DVCC’s programs and services.
Angelina’s Trattoria, Westport
Media often romanticizes and glorifies unhealthy, toxic relationship behaviors. In this workshop, teens will analyze relationships in popular tv shows, movies, and music. Teens will discuss healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors, and how we can recognize these messages.
To schedule this workshop for your group of teens, contact Anita Lai, at alai@dvccct.org.