Love is Respect: FCCLA's Teen Dating Violence Awareness Drive

By: Ashna Balroop

This past January and February, FCCLA held a drive in partnership with The Safe Center Long Island to support the shelter! FCCLA collected a range of toiletries and household-based items to support survivors of intimate partner violence who utilize the resources of The Safe Center. Overall, more than 50 items of toiletries and hygiene products were collected! There was also a workshop hosted to raise awareness about teen dating violence. Alyssa Fouad, an educator from The Safe Center, visited our school and covered the different signs to recognize unhealthy and abusive relationships. We learned about intensity, possessiveness, isolation, sabotage, belittling, guiling, and volatility. In addition, we were educated on the fact that dating violence can be found in several different ways. Whether it is verbal or physical, dating violence can encompass anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. The workshop additionally helped us learn how to recognize safe and healthy relationships. We learned that communication, trust, and mutual respect are important in this aspect through completing an “orange flag” activity. In this activity, we were each given orange flags to write down what we thought were characteristics of healthy relationships. We then discussed what we wrote. As a result, students learned about others’ perceptions of healthy relationships, and we collectively fostered each other's knowledge on what a safe relationship should look like. Students attending the workshop also learned how we can support victims of intimate partner violence. It was shared by educator Alyssa that we should always be a support system for our peers if we see the signs of teen dating violence. Creating a safe environment for someone else is extremely important to stop Teen Dating Violence. We also learned about the resources The Safe Center offers for teens, like a 24-7 Hotline (that doesn’t contact parents) where teens can reach out for dating advice. 

As FCCLA Officer of Public Relations and one of the main people behind this project, I would like to thank everyone who attended the workshop as well as participated in donating items! Your generosity and thoughtfulness have gone a long way! The items donated were taken to the Safe Center on February 12th. Because of Sewanhaka, The Safe Center’s clients will have access to the supplies they need. As a thank you, they would like to share these resources (volunteer and internship opportunities) with our students!