February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, a time for youth nationwide to come together in an effort to raise awareness of teen dating violence or TDV. Too often, we fail to recognize both the gravity and frequency of TDV. According to the Domestic Violence Awareness Project, approximately 1.4 million high school students in a relationship in the United States experience physical violence, and approximately one-third of all teens have experienced abuse of some kind. Despite its alarming effects, the CDC reports that only 19% of parents recognize TDV as a “serious issue,” indicating an even larger societal ignorance.  In an increasingly cyber-oriented age, being cognizant of how technology can be manipulated in harmful ways is important to keep teens safe; cyber safety is paramount. In the face of this, it’s critical Monsoon’s Violence Prevention Program bring these issues to light.  VPP will host Digital Get Down: A Workshop on Teen Dating Violence in the Cyber Age, an event for teens ages 15-18 on teen dating violence with a focus on cyber abuse.

The event will be led by Monsoon’s youth interns, Animesh Joshi and Connor Liu, and will feature guest speaker Matty Tate-Smith, a local expert on the subject and communications specialist from IowaCASA.  Participants will also engage in an art project to explore creative forms of expression relating to teen dating violence. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, email Youth Program Coordinator Audri Lu-Uhlken at audri@monsooniowa.org.