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We are almost halfway through February, which we at IH celebrate as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.   Though this topic is something that is important to us EVERY month, we’ve taken a few extra steps to help increase awareness on Cape Cod this February.  A few things to know about #TDVAM:

-the color representing TDVAM is orange…an MVP student at your school can get you an orange ribbon pin you can wear to show your support.  Any orange clothing works too.

-February 9th is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Day.  You can use the hashtag #orange4love all month to spread awareness on social media.  Use it to demonstrate an example of healthy behavior in a relationship, awareness events that may be happening around you, or anytime you’re wearing orange!

-February 14th is Valentines Day…for those of you who have a valentine this year, use this time to reflect on the positive, supportive, and caring things you and your partner do for each other.  It’s important that you have a partner that respects you, encourages you, and is with you because of the unique person you are.  (Those without a valentine…being single is cool too…it’s better to be alone and happy with who you are, than be in a relationship where you’re unhappy or don’t feel validated.  The right person is worth the wait!)

-February 24th: Independence House is sponsoring an art contest, and the winners will be celebrated at our “We are the Change” event.   We’re having a guest speaker, MVP students will be present to discuss preventing violence in schools, and prizes for the winners of our art contest will be awarded. You can also visit sites like Love Is Respect and Break the Cycle for ideas about other ways you can promote the cause this month.

-IH Teen Counselor