Awareness months provide an opportunity to coordinate efforts that bring attention to specific issues. February is the time to get the word out about teen dating violence (TDV). The following are some resources that can help you with your efforts throughout February as well as all year long!

Visit the TDVAM website to learn about the issue and to check out resources and innovative ideas for engaging youth.  Campaigns and events that your community or school could sponsor include "It's Time to Talk Day." Specific strategies shared on this page are designed to engage youth, parents and other adult influencers, media, educators, and faith community leaders.  

Some ideas for activities this month:

• "It's Time to Talk Day" on February 2th. This is a great way to get everyone in the community talking about dating violence and how to have healthy relationships with lots of ideas and strategies to support the effort. Visit the  It's Time to Talk Day website for ideas and strategies to support the campaign.
• Valentines' Day poses a rare opportunity to connect to an international campaign, One Billion Rising, on February 14th.  To learn more about connecting to an event near you and to download a tool kit, visit One Billion Rising website.
• Hold a Flash Mob - Get a Dance Studio involved to choreograph and "train" community members (include teens and adults). Have talking points ready for all the media attention you will receive.
• Post "28 Facts About TDV." Use your website or other social media to post 28 Facts about TDV throughout the month - one fact per day.
• Encourage youth activism! Support students and young people to create a school-wide or community campaign on their own.
• Have a poster or slogan contest! Ask teens to create a TDV app. Invite students to submit poetry, plays, songs, or artwork. Give the winner a prize that benefits their school, like software, an iPad or other equipment. Honor winners at an event.
• Engage school personnel: coaches, counselors, teachers and administrators need to have their awareness raised, too.
• Engage parents and other adult influencers: send home brochures, flyers, post information on the school district website with links to helpful resources. Show a film. Invite parents to a "How to Talk to your Teen about Dating" workshop. Hold it at various dates and times throughout the month to ensure that parents can attend. Consider inviting parents and their teens together. Give teens talking points to talk to their parents, as well. 

A typical approach to raising awareness of teen dating violence issues is to provide information to the community about the services that provide safety and support for the victims and hold batterers accountable for their behavior. Safety, support and accountability are very important efforts that have been successful and must continue, but they should be done in conjunction with efforts to prevent first time victimization or perpetration, an approach that is referred to as primary prevention.

We challenge you to engage in

primary prevention activities in your community!

Check out the NYSCADV prevention tool kit which contains exercises, activities, primers, information and resources.  The tool kit is designed to help individuals and groups think about what would prevent domestic violence from happening in their communities. Tools and resources are chosen carefully, based on lessons learned from the NYS DELTA Project and successes from local domestic violence programs throughout the state. Tools and techniques promoted in the tool kit support groups and individuals as they go through their own process of discovery and decision-making to determine the role they wish to play in changing their communities.  For more information on utilizing the resources and information found in this tool kit call 585.413.0887.  Training and coaching is available upon request.

Appropriate public policies must be put in place to respond to and prevent teen dating violence. Therefore, we ask that all schools in New York State:

• implement policies that recognize the unique dynamics of teen dating violence;
• support school personnel in addressing adolescent relationship abuse; and
• support local programs in their work with schools and youth who seek their services.

For more information about this public policy priority and more, read our 2014 Public Policy Priorities.

July 2013 marked the 5-year anniversary of the passage of New York State law that changed the definition of "members of the same family or household" to include the addition of "persons who are or have been in an intimate relationship regardless of whether such persons have lived together at any time." This law created newly protected parties which include:

• heterosexual couples, whether they live(d) together or not,
• same-sex couples, whether they live(d) together or not, and 
• young adult/teen/adolescent dating relationships.

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is a great opportunity to refresh this information in the community so that teens know that they are eligible to request protection against their abuser via the police or family court.  For more information about expanded access, please read our technical assistance packet on this subject.

Gwen Wright, Executive Director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV), has asked us to share why the recognition of this month is so important.  Details about OPDV's campaigns, and resources for parents and other family members who have questions about teen dating violence are included in her letter.