Throughout February, the Teen Program of La Casa de las Madres will reach out to local teens through activities at high schools and community based organizations all over San Francisco. In partnership with high school Wellness Centers, La Casa will bring presentations and information about teen dating violence and healthy relationships to teens on site at their schools. Activities will also take place at community organizations like Treasure Island Job Corps.
For the last 10 years, La Casa has celebrated Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month with the “Girls Got Each Others’ Backs” lavender bracelet campaign, handing out approximately 25,000 free bracelets to local teens. Attached to each bracelet is a resource card that encourages teens to “Let a friend know she can count on you, and give her one of these bracelets.” “Leaving or ending an abusive relationship isn’t easy,” they say. “Sometimes you don’t know who or where to turn to when you’re in a relationship that feels unsafe.” The cards encourage teens to call La Casa’s Teen Crisis Line – 1-877-923-0700 – if they or someone they know “is being hurt, emotionally or physically.” La Casa looks to hand out over 3,000 bracelets and resource cards throughout the course of the month’s activities.
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, in the company of former mayors Willie Brown and Gavin Newsom, has honored the work of La Casa’s Teen Program in recognizing the significance of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Mayor Lee has proclaimed February 1st, 2012 “La Casa de las Madres Day” in recognition of the agency’s “significant contributions to raising awareness and providing support for our residents during Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.” Year-round, La Casa responds to calls for help from teens 24/7/365 and provides individual counseling, support groups, workshops, presentations, and other services specifically tailored to the needs of teens.
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is a national effort to increase awareness of violence in relationships among teens and young adults in their 20s, and to connect young people with prevention and intervention programs aimed at stopping this violence. It represents a collaboration between leaders in schools, student bodies, youth service providers, community-based organizations, government, parents, and others.
According to a 2008 article in the National Council on Crime and Delinquency Focus, around one in three adolescent girls in the US is a victim of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner – a number far above victimization rates for other types of violence against youth.
