Wear Orange for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
An expert on teen dating violence is encouraging parents to prevent their kids from becoming a one-in-three statistic.
By News Channel Nebraska
NORFOLK -- February is the month for relationships, but also for Teen Dating Violence Awareness.
Youth and Campus Advocate Kenzie Pasold works with Bright Horizons and Northeast Community College, where they're highlighting the theme for it is this year is "talking about it."
She told NCN that dating violence starts as young as grade school.
It can manifest as using harmful language; using social standing; cyberstalking; intimidation; minimizing/denying/blaming; threatening; assault; exclusion; or physical abuse.
To prevent it, she's encouraging parents to talk with their kids about it. And for those who are peers -- you can address the situation by emphasizing "I feel" statements, she recommends.
Pasold pointed out that one in three teens will experience abuse from a partner -- and that statistic applies to boys, too.
"And a lot of people think it doesn't happen in small-town Nebraska, but if it didn't I wouldn't have this position," she said.
On February 8th, everyone is encouraged to wear orange for teen dating violence awareness month. Mentioning it with the hashtag #TalkAboutItNorfolk on social media can get you entered to win a Bluetooth speaker!