loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline Launches LOVE Campaign
Raises Awareness of Healthy Dating among Texas Teens
Toolkits to be distributed to all Texas High Schools to Help Meet House Bill 121 Requirements
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The
loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (NTDAH) in
partnership with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today launched the LOVE
campaign at James
Bowie High School in Austin, Texas.
According to dating violence statistics in Texas, 75 percent of Texas
teens have reported experiencing dating abuse or knowing someone who
has; and one-in-two Texas teens reported having experienced dating
violence or abuse personally1.
The LOVE campaign aims to raise awareness of healthy dating
behaviors and dating abuse “red flags”
while connecting teens, parents and schools to the loveisrespect,
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. In addition to public service
announcements that will run on loveisrespect.org,
social networking sites MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Channel One
school broadcasts, NTDAH will distribute informational toolkits to all
high schools throughout Texas containing posters with NTDAH contact
information, PSA’s, wallet cards and other
educational collateral to help schools communicate with students.
“We are proud to launch this campaign to help
Texas teens learn about healthy and unhealthy dating behaviors,”
said Sheryl Cates, CEO of the loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse
Helpline. “In addition to providing resources
to teens, the campaign is designed to help schools throughout Texas meet
House Bill 121 requirements and help in the efforts to protect teens
from dating violence.”
House
Bill 121, approved by the Texas Legislatures and signed by Governor
Rick Perry in spring 2008, requires each school district in Texas to
adopt and implement a dating violence policy that includes awareness and
education for students and parents.
"By teaching students about healthy relationships, schools can both
prevent violence and teach young Texans valuable life skills," said
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. "As Attorney General, I am proud to
partner with the Texas Council on Family Violence to combat dating
violence and foster an environment that will keep our children safe.
Together, we can help ensure that more young Texans become productive,
healthy, successful adults."
House Bill 121 was drafted in response to teen dating violence victims
like that of Jennifer Crecente, a Bowie High School student who was
killed by an ex-boyfriend in 2006.
“Jennifer's relationship did not look like a
typical adult domestic violence situation, and therefore was not
recognized as potentially dangerous,” said
Elizabeth Crecente, Jennifer’s mother and
founder of the Jennifer’s HOPE Foundation. “Now
I know that it takes community involvement and education to ensure that
the warning signs are understood. That is why I am so honored to be a
part of this incredible campaign.”
All LOVE campaign materials can be viewed and downloaded at www.loveisrespect.org.
About loveisrespect, National Teen
Domestic Violence Hotline
The loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline is a 24 hour
resource for teens and young adults experiencing dating abuse. It is
specifically designed with teens and young adults in mind, operating
around the growing technologies that they use most often: the phone, the
web, and chat. Young men and women, along with their friends and
families, can anonymously contact a trained teen dating abuse advocate
by phone 24/7 at 866-331-9474 or TTY 866-331-8453. They can also chat in
a one-on-one, confidential conversation with a peer advocate between the
hours of 4 p.m. and 2 a.m. All advocates on the loveisrespect, National
Teen Dating Abuse Helpline are trained to offer crisis intervention,
safety planning, and referrals from a database of over 5,000 resource
providers.
1 Equation Research 2006 for the Texas Council
on Family Violence.
loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
Lisa Waddell,
512-794-1133
lwaddell@ndvh.org
or
Christina
Smith, 512-542-2838
christina.smith@cohnwolfe.com