Long time no blog! Hello to all of my supporters and viewers, and welcome to the new ones. My blog has been quite dormant for a few months due to work on promoting Stop The Hurt's Facebook page. Despite any excuses, I am going to start up again! Awareness and education is key. I must do MY part to stop the hurt.
Teen Dating Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month is coming to an end. I find it imperative that I make a final note before the end of the month.
Teen dating abuse can happen to anyone and is often overlooked, especially if it isn't physical. But overlooking the abuse does not make it go away. I can tell you all about the warning signs and how to help a friend, but something that we've been really discussing in the Peer Advocate office is the bystander effect. I will write in length about this another time when I can do my full amount of research, but it is too important to ignore.
Too often we ignore signs or say it is not our job to get involved; it's "their" business. It is especially hard when someone we know is experiencing abuse. We want to say that they're too smart to get into an abusive relationship. We want to say that it would never happen to them. These are excuses we create based off of our "just world phenomenon". We want to believe that we can protect ourselves from abuse, when in reality it is not an individual problem- it is a societal problem. It is OUR problem. Make it your problem, and make it your job. You don't have to, and shouldn't expect to, save or rescue anyone. But this does not mean you can sit back and let others take the reins. Be a leader. Step in. Ask questions. Be a friend.
If you are a URI student or a Rhode Island resident, please come to see The Vagina Monologues this weekend! It is at Edwards Auditorium; doors open at 7:30pm and the show starts at 8:00pm. It is showing Thursday the 28th, Friday the 1st, and Saturday the 2nd. All of the proceeds go to the URI Violence Prevention & Advocacy Program! Thank you for your support and I hope to see you there!
DO YOUR PART AND STOP THE HURT.
Happy TDVAPM! :)
