National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
Raising awareness about healthy relationships among adolescents, promoting safety and respect to prevent teen dating violence.
Position your organization as a trusted partner in teen safety and healthy relationship education during February awareness month.
- Share warning signs of unhealthy teen relationships and how to recognize red flags
- Highlight free resources and hotlines teens can access confidentially for support
- Feature stories of teens who built healthy relationships and broke cycles of abuse
- Partner with schools to promote safety planning workshops and peer-to-peer education
The movement for National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month was spearheaded by teens in the city of Austin, Texas and eventually became a nationwide movement. The American Bar Association got involved with lobbying for the awareness of teen dating violence starting in 2004, advocating in Washington DC alongside adults and teens from states all over the nation. The event was celebrated in Texas and other states starting in 2006.
Finally, in 2010, US Congress declared February to be the inaugural observance of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. The event has been celebrated annually and growing in popularity throughout the country since that time.
Make a Safety Plan
In addition to being able to identify potentially abusive behaviors, it is important that teens are protected by having access to a safety plan that they can use if they ever feel unsafe. This should include a plan for safety at home, at school and online. Teens can also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline to get help in creating a personalized safety plan and understanding how to leave an abusive situation.
Access Teen Dating Violence Resources
Many different organizations and groups are available to help teens who are in unhealthy or violent dating relationships. It is important that teens and their families know that they are not alone, that they know where they can get help from caring professionals. In addition to different local resources, check out some of these – and perhaps share them online in honor of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month: Love is Respect National Safe PlaceBreak the CycleNational Domestic Violence Hotline