Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Comes to a Close but Our Work Does Not

To our amazing supporters:

As 2010's Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month comes to a close, we want to thank all of you for standing beside Break the Cycle as a united voice against violence. Your support made it possible for one million young people to hear about BTC's website, http://www.thesafespace.org, in their morning announcement on February 10. Your support made it possible for 100 schools across the United States to receive our educational resources for free. Your support helped encourage 30 new people to join BTC's HOPE, our membership giving drive. And your support made Break the Cycle's Have a Heart Campaign and our new http://TeenDVMonth.org website such a huge success nationwide.

But your support means so much more. To the silent victims, the young people without a place to turn, a confidential shoulder to lean on, or the ability to get legal protection - your support tells them that their voices are being heard. One more voice being heard is one more life that could be saved.

Of course, the effort to end dating violence doesn't stop on March 1. Break the Cycle is committed to helping teens and young people 365 days a year. So we conclude this month by providing ways that you can continue to stand up and speak out:

1) SIGN THE PETITION
Make sure that students in schools across the nation have the tools they need to build healthy relationships. Sign Mary Kay’s petition to urge legislators to require dating violence education in schools.

2) JOIN HOPE


3) FAN OUR PAGE
Become a fan of our page to get the most up to date information from BTC. You can Join here. We've made a goal of starting March with 2,500 fans. Help us reach that goal by visiting our BTC fan page and suggesting it to your friends. Again, every new person who learns about Break the Cycle is someone who will discover the tools to prevent abuse in relationships they or their loved ones are in.

For every 100 fans we add through March 31, we'll give one school a free copy of [Ending Violence], our innovative prevention curriculum. The best part - YOU get to decide where it goes! We'll be taking nominations on the fan page beginning next Monday!

Thanks again for all of your support and dedication to helping the victims of dating abuse. We could not have done any of this without you.

Is you HEART in the right place?

Wear your heart on your sleeve to raise awareness about dating violence. Then show us that your heart is in the right place by sending us photos & videos of you and your friends wearing your hearts on your sleeve! We’ll post them here . E-mail them to us @ heart@breakthecycle.org !

Heart Someone this Valentine's Day!

It's Week 2 of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month! We are humbled by the massive outpouring of support given to the Have a Heart Campaign and our National School Awareness Announcement. In the past week alone, we registered over 300 new schools and districts, bringing our updated total to 502 schools, 40 districts, and one million young people reached in one morning. We could not have done it without you!!

Of course, this weekend is Valentine's Day, so Break the Cycle has designed special "Health-e Relationship Cards" to mark the occasion! Share your heart with the people you love and care about, and tell them that this Valentine's Day - You pledge to keep your relationships respectful, loving and safe!

Visit http://bit.ly/Heart-Someone to send an e-card to your friends, family today!

Here are some other ways you can give from your heart and help support our young people in ending violence in their schools and communities:

* All February, Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve - add <3 to your status and let people know you support Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and link to http://www.haveaheartcampaign.org!

* Join HOPE - for only $10, you can join a growing community of BTC supporters who want to do their part to end dating abuse. Visit http://bit.ly/BTCHope to learn more.

* Vote for BTC in the Pepsi "Refresh Everything" Challenge. Help us win $250K to train 120 Girl Scouts to become our new peer ambassadors across the country! Visit http://bit.ly/BTCPepsiRefresh to vote today!

* Help us grow on Facebook! For every 100 new fans we add on Facebook, we will give one school a free copy of [Ending Violence]! Tune in this March to nominate your school, but until then - help suggest our fan page to your friends and raise awareness at the same time!

* Calling all teachers! It's not to late to join Break the Cycle in making history. Visit http://bit.ly/HEART-of-the-Matter and register to be listed among the all the schools nationwide who participated - or just copy the announcement and read it aloud to your students. One more teen who hears this message is one more teen who will know that they are not alone, and that there are people here to help if they ever need it.

We said it before, but it's important to say again - we couldn't do this without you. Thank you for all of your vocal support of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and trying to help teens create relationships

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month: Week 1

It’s only week one of Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and some amazing things have already happened. We’ve already registered over 500 schools and are going to reach approximately 750,000 youth! We are really proud and really happy that so many schools have been registered and that so many of you took the time to spread the word about the campaign and most of all that you are helping us raise awareness about an issue we care so much about!


If you haven’t registered your school, your kids school or your student’s school there is still time. Click here to register your school for the National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Announcement!


Are you participating in Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month? If so, send us a message or leave us a comment and let us know what YOU are doing to raise awareness in your community!

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is in two days!

National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention MONTH is just around the corner and we are really excited! What was once only a week has now become a month--it’s great to see that people are recognizing the importance and seriousness of teen dating violence.

It’s not even February yet and already over 500,000 students have signed on to hear our National Announcement on February 10th in honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. We’re also very excited to have a lot of great partners who are helping us get our announcement in schools. Reaching so many students across the nation with a message raising awareness about teen dating violence is going to be a HISTORIC event. Make sure that your school is part of history. Sign up today!

And that’s not all that’s going on. There are tons of other activities for Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month at haveaheartcampaign.org . And if you want to keep up-to-date with all things going on near you for February head over to http://www.teendvmonth.org

Have a Heart!

We are proud to announce the launch of our Have a Heart Campaign! A new initiative created for teens, teachers and elected officials to raise awareness about dating violence in February. Here is how you can get involved in the Have a Heart Campaign and help raise awareness about dating violence:

Get to the HEART of the Matter
On February 10, as part of our Have a Heart Campaign, students from across the nation will hear a message of healthy relationships during their morning announcements. The first 100 schools to register will receive a free copy of Break the Cycle's [Ending Violence] curriculum, courtesy of Mary Kay Inc. Register your school today!

Wear Your HEART on Your Sleeve
Throughout the month of February teens and adults across the nation will be wearing hearts on their sleeves to raise awareness about teen dating violence. Get your HEARTS now!

HEART Someone
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month isn’t just about unhealthy relationships, it’s about promoting healthy ones as well. Help promote healthy relationships by sending someone our health-e-relationships card!

Speak from the HEART
Help us form a unified voice to require dating violence education in schools by writing a letter to your senator and sign the petition to get dating violence education in schools!

Have a HEART-to-HEART
Is someone you know in an unhealthy relationship? Have you talked to your teen about dating violence? Do you know someone who might be abusive? Have a heart-to-heart.

HOPE with All Your HEART
Become a member of break the cycle’s HOPE and join a national organization dedicated to ending dating violence year-round.

Don’t forget to share the love and tell your friends about the Have a Heart Campaign, and to join us on facebook! With your help we can create a world full of healthy, happy relationships for all.

If you want to learn more about Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, visit http://www.teendvmonth.org where you will find up to date information about dating violence awareness events and campaigns.

Digital Drama

Sexting, constant messaging, demanding information, spying, digital disrespect and cruelty can have serious consequences. Sexting, for example, can end you up in jail in some states for child pornogrophy charges and cause you to register as a sex offender - even if the pictures you send are of yourself. And all of types of digital abuse can cause severe emotional damage. And that is not cool. Ever.

MTV has created athinline.org in order to stop digital abuse. A Thin Line describes each type of digital abuse and has questions you can ask yourself to help clarify whether or not what you are doing or experiencing is abuse -there are even a few links to thesafespace.org. And if you are experiencing digital drama, athinline.org has resources that you can use to help you stop the abuse.

Digital abuse has serious consequences, and it’s important to know where you stand and what you can do if you are facing online abuse. So head on over to athinline.org and find out how you can protect yourself!

Remember, that if you have questions about your relationship, thesafespace.org is here to help. Just email askanything@thesafespace.org .