Recently, Faythe was featured on a PBS special in Colorado as part of a panel on Teen on Teen Violence.  Faythe represented both her school organization and the teenage perspective.  Along with the Director of the local domestic violence shelter in Denver, Faythe focused on teen dating violence.  The video can be found by clicking here.

To celebrate confidence and raise awareness for the issue, the sorority has created National Girls Day on behalf of the Confidence Coalition. It is celebrated on February 28 and you can get more info by visiting www.nationalgirlsday.com. This is just one of many amazing events they have organized and the Confidence Coalition website has a whole list of things you can do to help as well as great tips on ways you can be more confident. Click here to check out the site. Also, be sure to check out the video below:

Want to take part and make a difference? Help spread the word by sending out the following email from Start Strong to all your friends and family, and also be sure to follow the steps listed yourself :

BE PART OF A RECORD BREAKING DAY ON OCTOBER 22nd AND STOP ABUSE

On October 22nd,  we  are on a national mission to define a healthy relationship. It’s urgent, and we need YOUR input. Too many people are finding themselves in violent, abusive and damaging relationships. By looking at what a healthy relationship is — how to have them, build them and keep them — we can end abuse. 
 
Be a part of this RECORD BREAKING day. Start Strong’s goal is to get as many people as we can across the country (teens, adults, parents, grandparents, anyone and everyone!) tell us what they think about healthy relationships.
 
Below are ways that you can participate on October 22nd. A few minutes of your time can make a  lasting difference in someone’s life.  
 
1-      Help us spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends and family.
2-      Go to www.startstrongteens.org and give us your relationship feedback. We need to know what you know.
3-      IMPORTANT! Post a conversation starter to your Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/yfxr7yl) or Twitter profile. This will have a major impact.

For example:

(insert name) how do you start strong? Join the conversation http://tinyurl.com/tothestreets

(insert name) is on a mission to define a healthy relationship. Join the conversation http://tinyurl.com/tothestreets

(insert name) is wondering how do you define a healthy relationship. Tell us how to Start Strong before it ends wrong http://tinyurl.com/tothestreets

Thank you for doing your part to make sure that violence and abuse are never tolerated.
 
The Start Strong Community

Learn more about Start Strong at www.startstrongteens.org.

• Put a purple ribbon up as your facebook/twitter/myspace profile pic to show your support for ending domestic violence.
• Post a link on your profiles to www.loveisrespect.org to spread healthy dating awareness and let your friends know about the awesome resources we have if they ever need help.
• Send anti-dating violence awareness mass texts to your friends.
• Organize an anti-dating violence rally at your school.
• Submit an article on teen dating violence awareness to your school newspaper.
• Write a letter to get a Teen Dating Abuse curriculum in your school; Dosomething.org has great info on the steps you need to take.
• Create an anti-dating violence PSA and post it to your YouTube account.
• Print out our Teen Dating Bill of Rights and post it around school (with permission from school officials).
• Print out our quiz cards and hand them out at local events.
• Create a LOVE Mashup  and send it to your friends to promote healthy dating habits.
• Create a project for It’s Time to Talk Day. DoSomething.org is offering $250 Grants for your projects. Click here for more info.

What are you doing?  Is your school hosting an event?  Can you add us to your Facebook or MySpace profile?  Check out our GET INVOLVED page to see all the ways you can show your support of loveisrespect and join the efforts to end teen dating abuse.  There are also tool kits for teachers to download and share with their classes.  Check them out!

If you have pics or videos an event or project for Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week send it in.  We love to show the great things teens are doing across the country.

So round up the extra phones in your house, and visit Call to Protect to find out how to donate. You may find a local drop off spot (like The Body Shop), but if not – you can mail them in. There’s also info on erasing your personal data from the phone before sending it off. And hey, it’s a great cause, but if you didn’t pay for the phone – check before donating.

Contact your local domestic violence shelter (we can help you find it – just give us a call/chat). Ask what sort of donations they can use. Get some friends together (or do this as a class, club, etc.) and collect the items the shelter needs. Some examples of things a shelter might need are blankets, toiletries, clothing (for adults and kids), or cash.  But be sure to call and talk to someone first – some shelters have limited storage space (if you show up with a truckload of dental floss, they probably won’t have a place to keep it.)

Let people know about your project and start collecting. Collect items for a week, or continue to collect during all of October. You can ask teachers to set up drop boxes in their classrooms, set up a table during lunches to collect items, or even go door to door in your neighborhood. Then deliver your donations to the shelter at the end of the month.

If you decide to try this or any other activity to commemorate DVAM, please let us know. We’d love to hear about it.

Email us. We’ll tell you more.

*To ensure confidentiality for our callers and chatters, peer advocates have to work from our Austin office. If you don’t live in Austin and you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, give us a call. A Peer Advocate can  help you find something in your area.