Start the Conversation: Ending Teen Dating Violence

Let’s imagine for a moment that a student walks into their first day of algebra class, takes a seat and is immediately presented with the final exam. It’s safe to assume the student would probably fail the test. After all, how can you expect someone to succeed in a subject they’ve never been taught?

Yet when it comes to dating relationships, we often expect young people to have all the answers without ever studying the subject. If we want to end teen dating violence, we need to have more involved conversations with our young people around the topic of dating relationships.

This past summer, my hometown of Wayland, Mass. was rocked by its first murder in over 20 years — the devastating death of a recent high school graduate at the hands of her controlling ex-boyfriend. As the small town struggled to cope with the horrific incident, a stunned classmate was quoted as saying “This type of thing doesn’t happen here.” The girl was perhaps suggesting that violence doesn’t happen in small suburban communities. The sad reality is, however, that domestic abuse takes place everywhere.

Teen dating violence runs across race, gender, and socioeconomic lines. And since young people are far less likely than adults to report abuse, the mistreatment often goes on completely unaddressed. In my time teaching prevention programming at Chicago area schools, it has become evident that many young people are simply not identifying the abuse in the first place. With so few examples of healthy relationships to draw upon for guidance, many students are learning the wrong behaviors very early on.

A few weeks ago I asked a group of seventh grade students “What should you do if someone cheats on you?” The response I received almost left me speechless. “That’s when you go get razor blades and lemons and teach her not to cheat again.” Somewhere along the line, this 12-year-old boy in the back row of my class had been taught that if someone cheats on you, you cut them. As a class we stopped and investigated the whole scenario. Your partner cheated on you and, yes, you’re probably mad about it — but what are your options for handling the situation?

The class drafted up a list of options, including ending the relationship without the use of violence. As the discussion continued, the class reached a consensus that it wasn’t worth it to seek revenge. They agreed that a relationship without trust isn’t a relationship worth holding onto anyways. By the time the bell rang, it seemed as though we had sufficiently introduced some healthy methods for handling the situation. Regardless, I was left feeling confounded. Just imagine the violent consequences that could have transpired had that young man not participated in our conversation.

Inviting a teen dating violence prevention program to your school means acknowledging that a problem might exist; a recognition that some schools are not yet willing to make and some parents do not want to accept. As a result, our program at Between Friends is taught primarily at schools located in low-income areas where violence prevention programs are more heavily sought after.

We offer a variety of programming but the most popular curriculum runs for eight weeks and covers a diversity of topics including two weeks dedicated to discussing the components of a healthy relationship. Last year my co-facilitator and I taught programming to over 3,000 students here in Chicago. No matter what school we visit, the students share a similar reaction to the program — they want to talk about dating relationships and they have questions that need answering.

After leading the same discussions with young people on multiple occasions, some themes begin to emerge. One such theme is where young people are learning their relationship behaviors. It turns out teens are very quick to emulate the actions of adults, whether on television or at home, resulting in some pretty mixed messages. Students who witness domestic violence at home are more likely to experience abuse in their own relationships but even students from stable homes run the risk of encountering dating violence. The opportunity to sit down and discuss the subject with a trusted adult can make all the difference.

As adults we have a responsibility to create safe spaces for young people to talk about difficult topics. We get taught very early on that relationships are private, and this has resulted in a reluctance on behalf of adults to discuss the topic of dating with young people. We can no longer afford to sit back and wait for the conversation to come to us. Relationships are a complex and challenging thing to navigate and without prior experience to help guide them, young people are at an even higher risk for abuse than adults. If we want our young people to have successful relationships, we need to talk to them about it. After all, you can’t expect someone to succeed in a subject they’ve never been taught.

 

Paul Robinson

Prevention & education specialist, Between Friends

Twilight and the Themes of Domestic Abuse

As reported by NPR – 11/17/2011

However wet-blanket it may seem to say so, the more this series embraces its identity as a dance of abusive emotional grotesques, the more bothersome its themes become. Entertainment is entertainment; fun is fun; Edward’s and Jacob’s stalker-like possessiveness and Bella’s lack of agency are well-covered territory by now.

But when a saga popular with pre-adolescent girls peaks romantically on a night that leaves the heroine to wake up covered with bruises in the shape of her husband’s hands — and when that heroine then spends the morning explaining to her husband that she’s incredibly happy even though he injured her, and that it’s not his fault because she understands he couldn’t help it in light of the depth of his passion — that’s profoundly irresponsible.

Yes, we’re all having a good yuk over the unhinged quality of it all. And yes, it’s a movie with a monster baby. (And an angry argument among a pack of wolves that’s about as menacing as an outtake from Oliver & Company.)

But romanticizing an intimate relationship that leaves bruises and scars is a particularly terrible idea in a film aimed at girls. Talking about this is tiresome, but then so is putting it in the movie. From depicting the loss of virginity as a naturally violent, frightening, physically dangerous experience to making Bella a woman with no life at all outside of her literally all-consuming pregnancy, the narrative sledgehammers are all as distasteful as they are inelegant.

You know what this is. You won’t be surprised, if you’ve read the books. This is a descent into madness, of a particularly gruesome kind.

3rd Annual Final Friday Art Crawl Theme has been announced!

Connecting the dots  – an art exhibit created by Wichita Youth, shows how violence evolves from elementary school playground teasing to teen dating violence and bullying to domestic violence and sexual assault.

Wichita Teens Celebrate February, Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month, with a City Wide Art Exhibit for Final Friday

WICHITA, Kan. – START STRONG WICHITA CHOOSE RESPECT , a project of Catholic Charities of Wichita, will feature the third annual Art Exhibit as part of Final Friday, February 24 from 6-10 p.m. at the Shopkeeper’s Gallery (228 N. Market).  This year’s event “Connecting the Dots” constructs the narrative that violence evolves with students as they grow up.  This continuum can be prevented if we as a community possess the necessary tools and become UPSTANDERS – someone who stands up to violence. All across Wichita Public Schools student leaders are sharing the message that this continuum of violence needs to stop.

This year’s exhibit will feature Art from almost every Wichita Middle School and High School.  Students were asked to reflect on one question – What does being an UPSTANDER mean to them?  They were then asked to create art that best presented their emotions to the community.

• Choose RESPECT works to create a ‘culture of respect’ that permeates every level of school – elementary, middle, and high school.
• Victims of bullying, dating violence, harassment, and sexual assault are more likely to struggle academically than their peers
• Wichita has been champion community around the country in its work on dating violence prevention

“Wichita accounts for almost 22% of all reported sexual assaults in the state of Kansas, and of those; nearly 50% involved a victim under the age of 19,” said Cynthia N. Colbert, Catholic Charities of Wichita Executive Director.  “Through our Harbor House domestic violence shelter and outreach services we see first-hand the devastating results that domestic and dating violence has on families, children, women and men.  Prevention is key to ending domestic violence to strengthen families and strengthen our community.  Through our START STRONG WICHITA project we seek to end domestic violence before it starts by educating teens on having healthy relationships to prevent them from not only becoming victims of domestic violence but also from becoming abusers.  Catholic Charities has been a community leader in building coalitions to end dating and domestic violence.”

For the past 2 years Mayor Carl Brewer has read a proclamation at the City Council meeting redeclaring February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month and then spoke directly at the event.  Mr. Brewer has encouraged members of the community to attend this year’s awareness event and celebrate February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month.  Mr. Brewer joined over 500 patrons last year, which featured works from over 180 middle schoolers and high schoolers.  This year’s event is shaping up to be even larger.

This year’s art exhibit will feature multiple mediums of art to spread the word to the community including paintings, sketches, sculptures, poetry readings, music, live theatre, and even some student films.

Admission to this event is FREE.  For more information on this and other events, please visit START STRONG WICHITA on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and find out how to get involved in stopping dating and domestic violence.

For more information on START STRONG WICHITA, please visit us online at http://www.StartStrongWichita.org

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About START STRONG WICHITA

START STRONG WICHITA is a project of Catholic Charities and builds on the existing work of Choose Respect.   We are proud to partner with the following organizations: Wichita Public Schools, Wichita State University, WASAC, the Y, the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas, and Catholic Charities Harbor House.  Start Strong Wichita is the largest national initiative ever funded to target 11- to 14-year-olds to promote safe and healthy relationships and prevent teen dating violence and abuse.  The project educates not only teens but parents and the community at large on preventing teen dating violence by forming healthy relationships. The ultimate goal of START STRONG WICHITA is to stop domestic violence by preventing teens from becoming either victims or abusers.  Catholic Charities was chosen as 1 of 11 community organizations nationwide to receive funding through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s national program, Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships (www.startstrongteens.org).  Learn more about START STRONG WICHITA at www.startstrongwichita.org.

About Catholic Charities
Celebrating 67 years of services, Catholic Charities Inc. – Diocese of Wichita meets critical community needs in south central and southeast Kansas through direct services and advocacy. The mission of Catholic Charities is to “demonstrate the Gospel values of love and justice through service, education, advocacy, and collaboration.” As the social service outreach of the Catholic Church, Catholic Charities helps families and individuals in need without regard to religious affiliation. The result is more than 25,000 lives touched with needed encouragement and support each year. Catholic Charities expresses the belief that each person should be “treated equally with respect and compassion” through its programs and services in the areas of family and relationship strengthening, domestic violence services and advocacy, food and support assistance, homelessness, multicultural services, and senior and disability services. The agency empowers individuals through education about their personal strengths, rights and options to make informed decisions. Since establishment in 1943, Catholic Charities has remained focused on making a positive difference in the lives of families and individuals. For more information, visit www.CatholiCharitiesWichita.org.

About Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, we work with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.  For more than 35 years we’ve brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those we serve. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, we expect to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information visit www.rwjf.org.

How Breakups AFFECT men more than women

From:  TIME Newsfeed

Drama Kings: Men Take Breakups Harder

By: Rachel Goldstein(445 days ago)

Topics: Science

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/08/05/drama-kings-men-take-breakups-harder/#ixzz1bjHjemLn

Tim Tadder/Corbis

According to a new study, men are more — that’s right, MORE — affected by romance-related drama than women.

Women: for every romantic comedy, Chris Rock performance, and season of The Bachelor that’s given you a bad relationship rap, celebrate alongside me our redemption! A sociology professor at Wake Forest University surveyed over 1,000 unmarried young adults between the ages of 18 and 23. After parsing the data, Robin Simon concluded men are far more likely to be emotionally affected than women of the same age by relationship turmoil.

Why? Simon provides, “for young men, their romantic partners are often their primary source of intimacy, whereas young women are more likely to have close relationships with family and friends.”

It’s not all good news for the ladies however. The study also concluded that while men are more emotionally affected by the quality of their relationship, women are more emotionally affected by whether or not they are in a relationship.

There very well may be no hope for any of us. (via the Toronto Sun)

Read more:

From:  Toronto Sun

http://www.torontosun.com/life/2010/06/08/14308846.html

Life

Young men affected by romance drama more than women: Study

QMI Agency

First posted: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 01:46 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 01:59 PM EDT

The emotional rollercoaster many couples go through in a relationship affects young men more than their female counterparts, a new study says.

In the study of more than 1,000 unmarried young adults between the ages of 18 and 23, sociology professor Robin Simon from Wake Forest University in North Carolina says while men will try to present a tough face when they’re unhappy about something in their relationship, they’re more likely to be emotionally affected by it than young women in the same age range.

Simon said a possible explanation for the findings could be that for young men, their romantic partners are often their primary source of intimacy, whereas young women are more likely to have close relationships with family and friends.

For the study, Simon and associate professor of sociology at Florida State University Anne Barrett analyzed data from a large sample of young adult men and women in south Florida. The survey data was originally gathered for a long-term study of mental health and the transition to adulthood. The research is published in the June issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Simon said men and women express emotional distress in their relationships in different ways.

“Women express emotional distress with depression while men express emotional distress with substance problems,” Simon said.

She said that while young men are more affected emotionally by the quality of their current relationships, young women are more emotionally affected by whether they are in a relationship or not. That’s why young women are more likely to experience depression when the relationship ends or benefit more by simply being in a relationship.

Kids and Dating

When do YOU think kids are ready to be in a relationship?

That is the question we asked 300 middle school youth and the results are astonishing. I think we can all remember back to when we had our first crush. I have asked that question many times with groups of adults and I always get a wide range of answers, from Kindergarten to College. Personally, my first crush was Danny. I always hoped to swing next to him on the playground during recess. I was in Kindergarten.

At some point in my short life, I figured out there were more types of relationships than the ones you have with your family and your friends. There was this other kind of relationship that attracts you to it. We all experience it at some point in our lives. So, if we are experiencing this crush type feeling, are we already beginning to build our foundation for what a significant relationship looks and feels like?

When we asked 300 middle school students in Wichita when they THINK they are ready to be in a relationship, the majority said in Middle School. When we asked them when DO their friends begin to begin to be in relationships, the majority said ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

We understand that relationship can be interpreted in many ways and we all know kids who say they are ‘going out’ but never actually go anywhere with this person. However, the reality is that kids are thinking about relationships and beginning to form what is OK and what is not OK in a relationship. They are developing how they communicate with a partner, what it is they like about potential boyfriends/girlfriends, and most importantly how they treat and allow themselves to be treated by a partner. We need to meet kids where they are and help them build a healthy foundation for future relationships.

Is it time you sat down and talked to your child about relationships? You could start by asking the same questions we did and see where the conversation leads. You might be surprised. You have an opportunity to help guide them in this development process. Start relating before they start dating.

Nancy Carroll
Program Director – Start Strong Wichita, a project of Catholic Charities

The Outrage Performance Video & Rock RESPECT 2 Video

Rock RESPECT 2 was held on August 26th in Old Town Farm & Art Market.  Bands for this year’s event included James Paul & Co, The Ellis Brothers, Behind the Solution, & Bayless.

The Outrage is a 20 minute play about the dangers of dating violence, sexual assault, and harassment.  To book The Outrage to come to your school or club, please contact Emily Daggett at edaggett@catholiccharitieswichita.org

Bullycide at Home

Bullycide in Our Front Yard

Rhianna Lynn Morawitz, age 14, has died.  Preliminary reports say this first-year high school student from Wichita took her own life on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, because of suffering at the hands of one or more bullies.

This death came on the heels of grieving for the loss of another 14 year old – Jamey Rodemeyer of Williamsville, NY – who took his own life just three days before … because of bullying.

It also comes only a week after Tammy Aaberg delivered a petition with 145,000 signatures to her Minnesota Congressional Representative in the hope that the presidential hopeful would publicly denounce anti-gay-bullying … which contributed to the suicide of her 15-year-old son, Justin, in July of 2010.

But Rhianna – though she is one of many – is one of our own.  This death is up close and personal … right in our own Wichita front yard.  It was evident to practically everyone – except to whomever bullied her – that Rhianna Morawitz was beautiful; but all of that blossoming beauty is lost to us now.

Bullying in ANY form is the cause of interpersonal violence in almost EVERY form – whether it is school-yard conflict, social media meanness, teen dating violence, domestic violence involving adults who should have learned better, and countless other examples.  And in Jamey’s and Justin’s case, they were targeted for bullying (like so many others) because of their sexuality – which should be nobody’s business but their own.

Nine out of 10 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students experience harassment at school.¹ These students are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, and studies show that more than 1/3 of all LGBT youth have attempted suicide.²   Suicidal Signs and Facts,” The Trevor Project, 2010

And yet, regardless of whether some beautiful human being takes her or his own life because of any form of bullying or not, it is important for all of us to recognize that suicide is a permanent solution to what is always (or at least almost always) a temporary problem.  Problems may not feel temporary to a person who has very little experience successfully dealing with trauma in life, or to someone who is enduring great or overwhelming physical or emotional pain; but this is the reality.  Problems tend to be fleeting; suicide is permanent.

This is why each of us has to be well-connected with as many supportive people as possible – people who care enough to make a positive (and sometimes life-saving) difference in our lives.  We also need to BE those kinds of people to others who need our strength when their own sense of personal power is failing them.   And remember: even Superman has his Kryptonite vulnerability, and needs help sometime.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is quoted as having said, “A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child.”  Rhianna Morawitz was just a child … and her heart was clearly bruised … damaged so much that she found the pain of the bruising unbearable.  And yet, it is ultimately not the words of other people that actually hurt us; it’s the meaning we give to the words they utter.

If I look at you with a snarl on my face and venom dripping from my eyes and spit out the word “citehtapa” you might feel personally attacked based on my body language; but the word will mean nothing to you, and you’ll probably write me off as some kind of crazy person.  But if I tell you to reverse all of the letters in my word, a meaning will emerge for you, and my guess is that – even now – you will suddenly feel different.

So … assuming that you have done the deciphering … the question is:  ARE you?

Are you apathetic?  Are you indifferent or unconcerned about the many, many young people who are severely damaged or destroyed because of bullying and other forms of violence in relationships?  Are you uninterested in the fact that young bullies grow up to be adult bullies?  Are you waiting for you or someone you love to become the target of one or more bullies, and possibly the latest tragic victim of bullycide?

Please don’t be.  Don’t be apathetic.  Don’t be indifferent.  Don’t be unmotivated.  Don’t be one of the people who assume nothing can be done to make a difference.  As historian and minister, Edward Everett Hale, famously said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

And, please, don’t try to affix blame.  There is more than enough of that to go around if that’s the game you want to play.  It’s better to BE game … to be willing and determined … to take on more responsibility for doing everything you can possibly do to prevent future tragedies like Rhianna’s.  Don’t leave it as the sole responsibility of boards of education which, in many cases, are already doing as much or more than any agency to address this issue.  Don’t leave it to the purveyors of our morality; if our congregations could ensure our morality, they would have already done so.  And don’t leave it to those who are responsible for crime and punishment.  By the time it gets to that level, it’s already too late.

And remember this:  Whenever any of us encounter problems that are bigger than we are, there is ALWAYS … ALWAYS … someone, somewhere, who is ready, willing, able, and available to help us deal successfully with the problems.  Our job is to FIND them!

I am one who is very careful about using absolute terms like “never” and “always,” but in this case, I have no hesitance whatsoever.  Help is always available for those of us who need it if we are willing to keep searching until we find it.  And alternately, sometimes lives are saved based on the smallest acts of caring delivered at the right moment to those who are hurting.  We can be among the ones who bring that deliverance.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.”  There is not much that could possibly be more damaging when it stands against love than bullying at any and every level.  Our mission for justice is clear.  As Leo Buscaglia succinctly put it, “It’s overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.”

To me … and to lots of other people … love that moves us into action is the answer.  But what do YOU think?  Feel free to tell us right here:

http://www.startstrongwichita.org/Teens/contact.html

http://www.startstrongwichita.org/Parents/contact.html

For more on Rhianna Lynn Morawitz and this topic, see:

http://www.kansas.com/2011/09/24/2030128/suicide-victim-may-have-been-bullied.html

http://startstrongwichita.org/blog/2011/04/bullycide-the-faces-of-teen-tragedy/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTblveQ4Zag

http://www.bullycide.org/

R.I.P Rhianna Lynn Morawitz. | Facebook

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Rock RESPECT 2 – Friday, August 26th in Old Town

We met with the bands last evening at Riverside Perk in Wichita and could not be more excited about the lineup and what we have to offer.  This event is set out to be EVEN BIGGER than last year’s and with the bands promoting, the schools promoting, some of Wichita’s Best Media promoting, we should really fill up the square.

For the evening the lineup will look like this:

7-7:40pm = James Paul & Co with get this kicked off
7:45-8:25pm = Brandon & Blake Ellis will offer us some funkadelic acoustic rock
8:30-9:10pm = Behind the Solution will pick up the speed
9:15pm – Finish = Bayless will rock some faces off!

Some huge thanks go out to all of the local businesses that are helping with this event.  Scott Ward at Accent Mobile for providing our sound and live mixing.  Ryan McGuigan of RPM Productions for the live lighting and technical direction.  Craig Beebe of Brickhouse Studios for his stage.  Prestigious Films for live event videography.  Kent Audio/Visual for the live projection screen and RQuip for the Power Generator.

Admission to the event is FREE!  So bring your lawn chairs and prepare for some of Wichita’s Best Live Music.

Sign our Choose RESPECT petition and get a FREE Start Strong Tshirt.

For more info, join our event page on facebook.  See you there!

Nicholas Barton
Marketing, Start Strong Wichita

Press Release – Rock RESPECT 2

For Immediate Release

August 3^rd, 2011                                                                     Contact: Nancy Carroll

Program Director

Phone: (316) 258-9878

ncarroll@catholiccharitieswichita.org

START STRONG WICHITA, a project of Catholic Charities, presents Rock RESPECT 2 Friday, August 26th from 7-10 p.m. in Old Town Farm & Art Market to Build Healthy Teen Relationships

Catholic Charities Wichita and community partners to produce “ROCK RESPECT 2” to promote healthy relationships through Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s national Start Strong initiative and celebrate Prevention Efforts to Pre-empt Dating Violence in Teens

WICHITA, Kan. – START STRONG WICHITA, a project of Catholic Charities, will be hosting “Rock RESPECT 2” to promote healthy teen relationships.  The event will feature four Wichita musical acts, fun games, live videography, photography, food, drinks, and dance.  The bands include Mercury Rising, James Paul & Co, Bayless, and Behind the Solution.  The event will be located at Old Town Farm & Art Market on August 26^th from 7-10pm. as part of Wichita’s Final Friday Celebrations.    Admission to the event is FREE, so bring your lawn chairs and enjoy some great local music.  Attendees are encouraged to visit our website to find out more about Start Strong Wichita and what they represent.  www.startstrongwichita.org

START STRONG WICHITA is proud to partner with several Wichita agencies and groups to make this event possible.  Community partners for the event include Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center, The Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, Wichita Public Schools, WSU Dept. of Sociology, and local businesses including Wichita Perk, Prestigious Films, WichitaInPerson, Cassandra Bryan Design, LLC and RPM Productions.

START STRONG WICHITA is a project of Catholic Charities and builds on the existing work of Choose Respect.   It is the largest national initiative ever funded to target 11- to 14-year-olds to promote safe and healthy relationships and prevent teen dating violence and abuse.  Catholic Charities was chosen as 1 of 11 community organizations nationwide to receive funding through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s national program, Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships (www.startstrongteens.org)

The need for substantive prevention work in Wichita is paramount.  One in three high school students will be the victim of dating violence before they graduate.  More than 10 percent of all reported domestic violence victims and nearly 50 percent of all reported rape victims in Wichita were under the age of 19. Wichita accounted for 22 percent of all rapes statewide with half of these victims being under age 19. There is a clear need for educational programs and community engagement to reinforce positive teen relationships. Catholic Charities along with partners Wichita Public School District, Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC), Wichita State University Department of Sociology and the Center for Community Support and Research have developed a comprehensive community plan for this 4-year initiative to address the community’s needs.

“We are excited to be launching this website in Wichita,” said Nancy Carroll, START STRONG WICHITA Program Director and Violence Prevention Coordinator at Catholic Charities Harbor House, “We know what the students can do to impact their environment and look forward to a future where violence and abuse are no longer tolerated.”

START STRONG WICHITA reaches over 7,750 local teens with Building Healthy Teen Relationship activities with a vision to empower teens age 11 through 14 through education, peer mentoring and support from other adults.

START STRONG WICHITA Teens mentor and teach other teens through a variety of mediums such as small and large group facilitation, live theatre, Art, social marketing campaigns on the air and in print.  A One-Act Play entitled “The Outrage” will travel throughout Wichita Public Schools this year depicting how teen relationships can turn violent.  They take questions and comments from the audience to inspire real conversations on the topic.  These teens receive intense training on teen dating violence and teen sexual assault.

“Teen dating violence is one of the nation’s most serious public health problems. Our health and well-being are critically connected to how we live, work, learn and play,” says James Marks, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Vice President and Director, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Group. “Our goal is to create new comprehensive public health models that can both prevent relationship violence and even more help our young people build healthy, positive relationships and that is why the focus on youth involvement is essential.”

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About Catholic Charities
Celebrating 65 years of services, Catholic Charities Inc. – Diocese of Wichita meets vital community needs in south central and southeast Kansas through direct services and advocacy. The mission of Catholic Charities is to “demonstrate the Gospel values of love and justice through service, education, advocacy, and collaboration.” As the social service outreach of the Catholic Church, Catholic Charities helps families and individuals in need without regard to religious affiliation. The result is more than 20,000 lives touched with needed encouragement and support each year. Catholic Charities expresses the belief that each person should be “treated equally with respect and compassion” through its programs and services in the areas of counseling, domestic violence, food and financial, homelessness, multicultural assistance, and senior and disability issues. The agency empowers individuals through education about their personal strengths, rights and options to make informed decisions. Since establishment in 1943, Catholic Charities has remained focused on making a positive difference in the lives of families and individuals. For more information, visit www.catholiccharitieswichita.org.

About Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, we work with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.  For more than 35 years we’ve brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those we serve. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, we expect to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information visit www.rwjf.org.

About Harbor House

Catholic Charities’ Harbor House exists to help women break the cycle of domestic violence through shelter, prevention and outreach services. Since opening in 1992, Harbor House has helped thousands of women and children escape domestic violence. The new shelter facility, that was made possible by the generosity of donors, opened in 2006, making Harbor House the largest domestic violence shelter in the state. This Catholic Charities program is able to make a difference not only in the lives of those who stay at the shelter, but also in the lives of thousands of others who receive outreach services. Last year more than 1,500 women and children were touched by the services of Harbor House, and nearly 300 of them stayed in the shelter. Proceeds from this event go toward making these things possible. Start Strong Wichita is one of Catholic Charities’ Harbor Houses outreach services designed to prevent teen dating violence and help teens to choose healthy relationships which with the ultimate goal of preventing domestic violence and strengthening families.

Kansas NOT among States that have Policies on Teen Dating Violence

Teen Dating Violence

NCSL, National Conference of State Legislatures
Updated July 1st, 2011

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in 11 adolescents say they have been the victim of physical dating violence; a separate survey indicated that one in four teens self-report physical, verbal, emotional or sexual abuse every year.  African American and Hispanic students report higher rates of dating violence than white students. Healthy or unhealthy relationship habits develop early. Approximately 72 percent of 8^th and 9^th graders report “dating.” By the time these students get to high school, more than half of them say they see dating violence among their peers.   Destructive relationships during the teen years can lead to life-long unhealthy relationship practices, may disrupt normal development, and can contribute to other unhealthy behaviors in teens that, if left unchecked, can lead to problems over a lifetime. The CDC’s 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey indicates that adolescents who report being physically hurt in a dating relationship were also more likely to report that they engage in risky sexual behavior, binge drink, use drugs, attempt suicide, and participate in physical fights.

Prevention initiatives include early education about healthy dating practices. Choose Respect, a CDC initiative aimed at adolescents, raises awareness about teen dating violence and promotes healthy relationship practices by challenging harmful beliefs about dating violence.

Policymakers can play a role in preventing teen dating violence. At least 14 states have laws that urge or require school boards to develop curriculum on teen dating violence. Many states have also adopted teen dating violence awareness weeks or months, in an effort to draw the public’s attention to a national campaign that promotes prevention, safe dating practices and offers information and resources. In 2011 at least eight states have introduced legislation to address teen dating violence.

2011 Introduced Legislation |  State Laws | Dating Violence Postcard |

Updated July 1, 2011

Introduced Legislation-2011 Bills

State Laws on Teen Dating Violence

           Percentage of High School Students Who Experienced Dating Violence*

Teen Dating Violence
Dating violence is the physical, sexual or psychological/emotional violence that occurs within a dating relationship. Destructive relationships during the teen years can lead to lifelong unhealthy relationship practices, may disrupt normal development, and can contribute to other unhealthy behaviors in teens that can lead to chronic mental and physical health conditions in adulthood. Teens who were physically hurt by a dating partner were more likely to say they engage in risky sexual behavior, binge drink, use drugs, attempt suicide, and participate in physical fights.

• One in 10 adolescents reports being a victim of physical dating violence.
• One in 4 adolescents report verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse each year.
• About 72 percent of eighth and ninth graders report “dating.”
• Teen dating abuse most often takes place in the home of one of the partners.

Adolescence is a “window of opportunity” for prevention, and policymakers can play a role in preventing teen dating violence. Laws in at lesat 14 states urge or require school boards to develop curriculum on teen dating violence and at least 8 states considered legislation in 2011. States also have adopted teen dating violence awareness weeks or months to bring attention to prevention and safe dating practices.

Options for Policymakers

• Support evidence-based programs in schools and communities, such as Safe Dates and Fourth R, that are proven to prevent and intervene in violent teen dating relationships. Programs are more likely to lower the incidence of teen dating violence when science informs their curricula.
• Work with health officials to gather surveillance data in states that do not collect information on teen dating violence.
• Analyze and evaluate existing state and local policies and practices to identify effective strategies to prevent teen dating violence.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2009.