Tuesday, March 21, 2017

SAFE HOME SAVES LIVES

By CHRIS CONNOLLY

CHRIS CONNOLLY FOR WIZARD WEEKLY
Although our community has done a great deal to prevent dating violence, it is still a frightening reality. Toxic relationships are found all too often among college students, high-schoolers, and even middle schoolers. Despite this being a tragic reality, there are programs to widen knowledge and awareness of this horrific situation.

The fourth annual Safe Homes Teen Summit will be hosted at Washingtonville High School on Wednesday, April 26th. This full day student conference is provided by the Safe Homes Organization of Orange County. Paul Saladino, a social worker here at Washingtonville, went more in depth about the event. “The goal is for teens and adults to gain knowledge and skills necessary to notice and put a stop to teen dating violence. During the conference, students will have the opportunity to participate in different workshops to explore key topics on the dynamics of dating violence.”  At the event, trained instructors will go more in depth and discuss ways that citizens can bring what they have learned back to the school and community.

It is imperative that students and parents alike attend this conference.  Many people don’t know how treacherous dating violence is in America.  Saladino elaborated, “One in three adolescents in the United States is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional, and/or verbal abuse from a dating partner. Girls and young women between the ages of sixteen and twenty four experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence, almost triple the national average.” There are countless statistics that would make any parent question a child’s significant other.  This shows just how important it is to know how to put an end to toxic ‘love’. 

The conference isn’t the only thing one can do to increase awareness. Each year a group of Washingtonville students are trained as Mentors in Violence Prevention. Mr. Saladino informs, “This is a seven week training provided by youth educators from Safe Homes of Orange County.  Mentors in Violence Prevention is one of the longest running and most widely influential gender violence, sexual harassment, and bullying prevention programs in the world.  Founded in 1993, MVP has inspired countless men, women, boys, and girls to challenge and change social, cultural, and institutional norms that support abusive behavior.” Mentors in Violence Prevention is certainly something that can change the face of abuse. 

Interested students should contact Mr. Paul Saladino or Ms. Katherine O'Sullivan for more details. If people work as a progressive whole, the menace that is dating violence can be put to an end abruptly. Please attend the Safe Home Teen Summit; it can save a loved one.


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