Families Thrive Newsletter - February 2010

A Silent Epidemic

Domestic Violence is not a problem just for adults! One in three teens will experience abuse in a dating relationship and two thirds of them will never report it to anyone!

• The Teen Dating Violence Prevention Project website has useful information, materials and tools to raise awareness and prevent teen dating violence.
• Click here for a fact sheet on teen dating violence.

Several locally developed campaigns are working to end teen dating violence.

• BOM (Boss of Me) 411 is a group of teens helping other teens dial down the drama in their relationships.
• Thatsnotcool.com raises awareness about digital dating abuse to stop it before it gets worse.
• The Coaching Boys Into Men^SM campaign invites men to be part of the solution by teaching boys that violence never equals strength.
• The I am Jane Campaign is a program of Family Violence Law Center representing everyone who has stood strong in the face of adversity and found the courage to move forward.

Effective prevention programs help teens build healthy relationships.

• Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships is the largest initiative ever funded to target 11 to 14 year olds and rally entire communities to promote healthy relationships as the way to prevent teen dating violence and abuse.
• Fourth R is a skill-based curriculum that promotes healthy relationships and targets violence, high-risk sexual behavior, and substance abuse among adolescents.
• Safe Dates: An Adolescent Dating Abuse Prevention Curriculum helps teens recognize the difference between caring, supportive relationships and controlling, manipulative, or abusive dating relationships.
• Lessons from Literature is an innovative program that enlists English teachers to use books and material they are already teaching to facilitate discussion and build awareness about physical, verbal and sexual abuse.
• The National Conference of State Legislatures provides a list of state laws supporting curriculum development, instructional focus, school policy on dating violence and response, research and education of professionals, personal safety and rape prevention training.

Join in local events during Teen Dating Violence Awareness month. Email us or post in the the discussion area a local event your organization is holding.

• Teen Poetry Slam at the Ryse Center on Thursday February 4th from 5:30 to 7:30. The public is invited! The RYSE Center is a youth lead center at 205 41st Street at MacDonald in Richmond. 510-374-3401
• My BOM Valentine - Youth Radio Oakland Saturday February 13

Join our discussion online to learn more about teen dating violence and what we can do to prevent it.

(Go to the discussion to post your thoughts)

Families Thrive Action Strategies

You are invited to the next Families Thrive community meeting scheduled for Friday, February 26 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Click here to RSVP or email us at info@familiesthrive.org.

Children, youth and families will thrive in Contra Costa because.... We are a committed, caring and creative community of professionals on a mission to change the future for children, youth and families who are at risk for or exposed to domestic violence. We are as driven by what we don't yet know as we are by our collective expertise. Together we are discovering, imagining and affirming a world in which all people are able to thrive.

We are focusing on the following four action strategies to create real change in our communities. Please consider joining us!

1. We use training to challenge and transform how we think about our work. (Knowledge/ Learning)

2. We leverage our learning and implement organizational practices and policies in our work.(Organizational Practices)

3. We collaborate to focus on prevention and early intervention strategies. (Partnership/ Collaboration)

4. We make this issue vital and relevant to the community through raising awareness and influencing policy.(Public Awareness/ Public Policy)

(Go to the website to learn more)

Ongoing Learning Opportunities

On the Families Thrive online platform, you will find presentations by experts on children and youth's exposure to domestic violence.

In her presentation, Dr. Linda Chamberlain provides a brief overview of the health effects of childhood exposure to violence. She also highlights practical strategies & promising practices that are making a difference for children who experience trauma.

Dr. Jeffrey Edleson then presents on "Identifying and Assessing Children and Youth's Exposure to Domestic Violence" with background information on why children and youth's exposure to violence is an important issue along with tools for identification and assessment, and proven strategies to integrate into ongoing practices.

Participate in Dr. Jeffrey Edleson's presentation online and earn 1 Board of Behavioral Sciences Continuing Education Credit.

(Go to the website to view the presentations)

Join the Community of Practice

Families Thrive is a community of professionals in Contra Costa County who work with children, youth and families.

To access online resources and discussions or to join the community of professionals, please email info@familiesthrive.org.