DOVE Center encourages community to wear orange for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
By Leanna Bergeron
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, a national awareness month aimed at bringing attention to teen dating abuse and the importance of healthy relationships.
Associated with the awareness month is Wear Orange Day, which falls on Feb. 12 and encourages people to wear orange and spread messages about healthy relationships vs. unhealthy relationships throughout their networks. Participants can pick any kind of orange accessory including but not limited to orange shirts, nail polish, hats, face paint, ribbons, sunglasses, and shoes.
“It’s a great opportunity to start a dialogue with your peers,” said Adele Pincock, director of community outreach at DOVE Center.
According to loveisrespect.org, dating violence among youth is common. 1.5 million high school students experience interpersonal violence in the U.S. every year.
“The goal is to start having conversations on what healthy relationships look like,” Pincock said. “We can’t fix the problem if no one is talking about it.”
It was also revealed that 57 percent of college students said they didn’t know how to identify dating abuse, and 58 percent said they didn’t know how to help someone who was experiencing it.
Loveisrespect.org labels trust, respect, and healthy communication among the top three qualities present in healthy relationships. These qualities are illustrated in acts like consent and boundaries.
“We hope that everyone, not just teens, will take time this month to learn what is and isn’t acceptable behavior from their partners,” said Lindsey Boyer, executive director of DOVE Center.
DOVE Center is Washington and Kane County’s area service provider dedicated to serving survivors of domestic abuse, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault. The agency provides confidential services for teens include counseling, support groups, and advocacy. Additionally, DOVE provides healthy relationship curricula free of charge to area schools. Access services at DOVE’s 24-hour helpline by calling (435) 628-0458. To inquire about healthy relationship curricula, email outreach@dovecenter.org
Leanna Bergeron is communications manager for DOVE Center.
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