Day One's Executive Director and YVN co-chair at VP Biden's house

09/20/2011

Our executive director, Stephanie Nilva and Youth Voices Network (YVN) co-chair Nisha Giridhar attended an event at Vice-President Joe Biden's house last Tuesday, September 13th. There, the VP Biden discussed his efforts to end sexual violence among women, with a special focus on violence in school campuses.

Click on "Read More" to see their pictures with the Vice-President!

Read More...

Categories: News

Teen Dating Abuse Weekly News: Dating violence prevalent among college students.

09/16/2011

In the Headlines

Vice-President Joe Biden renews campaign to end sexual violence on school campuses through social media. Vice President Biden released a new Web video Tuesday condemning sexual violence against women, specifically focusing on school and college campuses. The video represents a renewed personal push started earlier this year by the vice president to confront the trend of sexual violence, an issue he pursued vigorously in the Senate.

Research

New study on dating violence highlights its prevalence among college students. "Liz Claiborne Inc.'s Love Is Not Abuse 2011 College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll" reveals dating abuse to be more prevalent among college students than previously believed. Nearly half of dating college women (43%) report having ever experienced violent or abusive dating behaviors, and 22% report physical abuse, sexual abuse or threats of physical violence. Nonetheless, 38% of students say they would not know how to get help on campus if they found themselves in an abusive relationship. Click here to see Jane Randel, Liz Claiborne's SVP of Corporate Communications, interviewed by Tamron Hall on MSNBC.

Opinions

Liz Claiborne VP talks about how a smartphone application can raise awareness among parents about dating abuse. "One of the key insights gleaned during [the implementation of our teen dating abuse education initiative] is that parental involvement and guidance are essential to preventing teen dating abuse. The need to engage parents is why we have created the Love Is Not Abuse iPhone application (app), an exciting new resource designed to educate parents and get them talking to their teens. The app informs parents about the warning signs of dating violence and emotional and digital dating abuse."

Events

Teen summit in Colorado tackles pressing teen issues, including healthy relationships.The Pueblo Alliance for Healthy Teens will host its first teen summit, "Making Pueblo Better, Together," to discuss issues and problems facing local youth and to enlist their help in solving those problems. It will include group discussions about underage drinking and youth drug use; mental health; developing and maintaining healthy relationships; violence in the home and the community; and bullying at school and on the Internet.

Read More...

Categories: News

Teen Dating Abuse Weekly News: DOJ grants $1M to aid ME domestic abuse survivors.

09/09/2011

In the Headlines

Department of Justice grants $1 million grant to aid survivors of domestic violence in Maine. Maine will receive $1,031,839 through the Department of Justice's STOP Violence Against Women Program. STOP is an acronym for Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution. The program's aim is to implement and improves victim-centered law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to address violent crimes against women and to improve services for victims.

Legal Matters

Liz Claiborne petitions US President to pass federal legislation for dating violence education in schools. Love Is Not Abuse., Liz Claiborne's initiative to prevent teen dating violence has set up a petition to urge the President of the United States to pass the Stop Abuse for Every Teen Act a.k.a. SAFE Teen Act (H.R.2689/S.1447), a bill that will boost education and awareness about teen dating violence in schools.

Research

A National Institutes of Health report finds low birth weight for children of women who experience violence during pregnancy. Pregnant women who are assaulted by an intimate partner are at increased risk of giving birth to infants of reduced weight, according to a population-level analysis of domestic violence supported by the National Institutes of Health. Infants born to women who were hospitalized for injuries received from an assault during their pregnancies weighed, on average, 1/3 pound less than did infants born to women who were not hospitalized, the study found. Assaults in the first trimester were associated with the largest decrease in birth weight.

Opinions

Mexican Youth Institute regards teen dating violence as one of the top global sexual health concerns. "Teen dating violence is another problem that belongs to the current sexual health panorama. According to a 2007 Survey conducted by the Mexican Youth Institute, 76 percent of young people have experienced some kind of psychological violence in their romantic relationship."

Events

An American dentistry foundation launches program to restore smiles of domestic violence survivors. Give Back a Smile (GBAS) is a program which restores damaged smiles for survivors of domestic violence. It is offered by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Charitable Foundation (AACDCF) in anticipation of October, which marks National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Volunteer dentists and laboratory technicians agree to restore broken and damaged teeth of survivors of intimate partner violence.

Read More...

Categories: News

Teen Dating Abuse Weekly News: Participants of Day One and Groundswell’s public art campaign share their experiences.

09/02/2011

In the Headlines

Participants of Day One and Groundswell's public art campaign share their experiences.Joy Marie Conway of Day One met with the Voices Her'd Visionaries of the Groundswell Community Mural Project to plan an arts-based awareness project throughout the summer. The campaign combines digital content and printed materials, all advocating awareness and prevention of teen dating violence.

Legal Matters

Idaho senator introduces federal dating abuse education legislation. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and other state leaders announced Senate Bill 1447, the Stop Abuse for Every Teen Act (SAFE Teen Act). The legislation is aimed at preventing and educating teens about dating violence. The legislation will authorize schools to use existing grant funding for teen dating violence prevention, and support the collections of better teen dating violence data to understand the scope of the problem. The announcement comes with special significance in light of a recent domestic violence murder-suicide at the University of Idaho.

Research

UCLA researchers report that intimate partner violence damages the victim's mental health.  A new policy brief from the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research reported that of the 3.5 million Californians who said they had been the victim of intimate partner violence (IPV), more than half a million — 594,000 — said they experienced recent symptoms of "serious psychological distress."

Opinions

Advocate points to the silence around the rampant violence against women in South Africa, its harm on their mental health and children. "More than 50% of women in South Africa report experiencing violence at the hands of an intimate partner – almost 70% reported psychological abuse. The endemic violence against women could easily explain why mental illness is considered among the top three contributors to the disease burden in South Africa. Studies have shown links between mental illness in mothers and fathers with poor emotional and developmental outcomes for infants and children."

Events

Race raises funds and awareness of domestic violence in honor of victim. The Heather's Hope Purple Ribbon Race is a 5K run-walk that celebrates the life of Heather Rimmer, a mother, runner and victim of domestic abuse, and to draw attention to the damage caused by domestic violence. It supports Heather's Hope Foundation, a nonprofit group created to honor Rimmer's memory that provides support for local shelters, scholarships for students and high school presentations about teen-dating abuse.

Read More...

Categories: News

Check out the blog from our partner organization, Groundswell Community Mural Project

09/02/2011

This summer, Day One's Peer Leaders worked with the Voices Her'd Visionaries of the Groundswell Community Mural Project to create a campain to help educate youth about abusive relationships and how to seek help. 

Check out their blog, Love Should Always Be Safe. 

Categories: News

Day One and Groundswell Community Mural Project Collaboration featured on Park Slope Patch

09/01/2011

The collaboration between the Day One Peer Leaders and the Voices Her'd Visionaries of the Groundswell Community Mural Project were highlighted in the Park Slope Patch for it's artistic message of anti-violence.

"Joy Marie Conway, who until recently has been a key member of Day One, has been meeting with the girls since spring of this year. Groundswell approached the organization with the idea of art as a tool for discussion, and they started with the basics.

'We had to establish things like how teen dating violence looks – how is abuse among teens different from abuse among adults? We looked at public perceptions, how it looks and how it is perceived," explained Conway.

The final product is hopefully just a beginning, both for the artists and new mediums in Voices Her'd – and most importantly for the youth the girls hope to reach."

Read the full article "Girls Advocate Non-Violence Through Art with Voices Her'd Visionaries" on Park Slope Patch.

Categories: Day One in the Media