Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is a campaign dedicated to raising awareness about teen dating abuse. Every February, young people and their loved ones join together across the country for a national effort to raise awareness about the issue of teen dating violence. Congress declared the month of February to be National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month in 2010. This annual, month-long push focuses on advocacy and education to stop dating abuse before it starts.
This year’s theme is Know Your Worth. It focuses on learning about healthy relationships and self-empowerment. All young adults are worthy of respect and deserve a healthy, loving relationship. The idea with this theme is to empower our youth to learn more about healthy relationships, and to know what they are worth and what they deserve. Know Your Worth is a powerful, personal statement that guides actions, behaviors, and communication in relationships to be healthy and free from violence. Everyone is deserving of a healthy relationship!
loveisrespect.org
Resources
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
Text LOVEIS to 22522 for safe and anonymous help
Moving the Needle from Empty to Full:
The Power of Personal and Professional Development
Running on empty is an expression that is often used to refer to continuing to function while exhausted. Compassion fatigue is one level of empty that occurs in people working with domestic violence and sexual assault victims and survivors on a daily basis. As one writer explains, absorbing trauma and emotional stresses of others creates a secondary traumatic stress. Not taking care of ourselves can have a negative impact on our health and personal life; and compassion fatigue and burnout can have a negative impact on the survivors we serve. To address this concern, MCADV has expanded supports to advocates to include personal and professional development.
Personal development is an ongoing process of self-improvement either in your career, in your education, in your personal life, or in all of these areas. Every year, we all plan to do some type of personal development when we make New Year’s resolutions. These plans often fall to the bottom of our to-do list because we put the needs of others first and our needs last. Advocates Building Connections (ABC) Community Learning Circle is designed to assist advocates in moving good intentions into practice. It is reserving time to invest in yourself. The 90-minutes monthly sessions consist of a learning segment and a space for connections segment. This format allows peers to learn from one another.
In response to the 2020 Mississippi Shelter Needs Assessment, MCADV instituted our signature Advocates Coffee Break to address the need for more Professional Development. Each session is usually an hour and provides an opportunity for professional growth to shelter staff and advocates statewide. Recent sessions have expanded to include participants from other states. Presenters include professionals from our member programs, national TA providers, and collaboration with other coalitions. Ongoing professional development allows advocates to learn new and innovative work techniques and keep abreast of technological advance. It provides skills and knowledge that fosters confidence in one’s professional tasks. The most recent Advocates Coffee Break ,When Men and Boys are Victims of Domestic Violence, was created to encourage outreach to a segment of society that is often not considered when thinking of domestic abuse victims.
Legislative Update
House Bill 695 and Senate Bill 2389 survived two legislative deadlines during the past few weeks. Legislative committees met via Zoom and in-person to discuss legislation to be sent to the chamber floor for voting. During these conversations, legislators passed the DV Match Fund revisions through the Judiciary A Committee in the House and the Housing Committee in the Senate. Currently, SB 2389 is still awaiting committee passage through the Senate Judiciary A Committee. This legislation was double referred to both Senate committees. House Representative Angela Cockerham and Senator Tammy Witherspoon authored these bills seeking complete removal of the 25% cash match requirement. With their support, Mississippi domestic violence shelters may soon receive relief of this strenuous requirement. MCADV continues to provide education and real stories to legislators in order to support shelters programs and the victims and survivors they serve. How can you help?
Call Your Senator(s) and Representative(s) and ask them to Support HB 695 and SB 2389.
Why should legislators support these bills?
Mississippi domestic violence shelter programs are required to match at least 25% of their total financial reward from the state’s Domestic Violence Fund. This requirement becomes difficult for shelter programs due to additional existing match requirements from federal grants and the decline in community donations.
How can legislators support?
Vote Yes for HB695 and speak with colleagues to bring SB2389 out of the Senate Judiciary A Committee.
Upcoming Events
Click the event title to register.
February 17th – Pre-Advocacy Day Webinar: Advocacy 101
This Pre-Advocacy Day webinar will discuss legislative advocacy and how to effectively communicate with state legislators. Participants will gain understanding of lobbying and advocacy, learn how to set up meetings with their legislators and create meeting agenda templates. Each participant will receive an Advocacy 101 Tool Kit to use as a training guide.
February 23rd – Pre-Advocacy Day Webinar: Policy Forum
Are you planning to have a meeting with your legislator this session? Do you want to learn more about the MCADV legislative agenda before meeting with your Senators and Representatives? Join us as we discuss MCADV Policy Agenda. Learn talking points and key language to help you advocate for victims of domestic and sexual violence. Participants will receive forms to document notes and will be able to ask questions about legislative meetings.
February 24th – Virtual Advocacy Day Event
This virtual event will serve as the official program for MCADV’s annual Advocacy Day. Join us on Zoom or Facebook Live as we discuss issues and public policy facing domestic violence victims and advocate for state funding revisions.
(Note: This event does not have a registration link. Details on how to join will be given closer to the event date.)
Save The Date
MCADV is celebrating our 40th Anniversary and we want you join us for our virtual event. Follow us on a trip down memory lane as we visit the history and significant milestones of the coalition. Community advocates and longtime supporters will share their experiences and perspectives of how MCADV has become a central voice for victims of domestic violence throughout the state. More detailed information will be available soon!
Shelter Spotlight
Center for Violence Prevention
The Center for Violence Prevention (CVP) has been in operation since 1990 and serves Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Issaquena, Madison, Rankin, Sharkey, Simpson, Warren and Yazoo Counties for sexual and domestic violence. Additionally, the Tower human trafficking program offers the only long-term restorative program and shelter to victims of human trafficking in Mississippi, along with rapid response to victims throughout the state. Through the partnership with multiple community organizations and a committed staff focused on the needs of the victims of interpersonal violence, CVP advocates that every person has the right to a life free from violence. Assistance is available through the hotline at 601-932-4198 or social media platforms.
Who We Are: CVP has several programs and services to help victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking, along with our domestic violence offender program. Check out the video below for more information on CVP! Click below to view more about CVP.
Teen Dating Violence Consent: Click below to view CVP’s video on education for teens on how consent works in four steps.
Center for Violence Prevention recently launched the Magnolia Movement, a statewide call to action to help victims of trafficking. It’s a way to reach out to others across the state to fundraise and gain awareness for the cause. It can vary from group or solo activities, that can range from fitness, artistic, to even cooking challenges!
One of the biggest questions CVP receives in regards to their Human Trafficking program is “How can I help?” The Magnolia Movement was created as a way to involve others by creating their own fundraisers or challenges with Human Trafficking in mind. This is an excellent way for people to employ their own talents via a virtual fundraiser to raise awareness, even during the restrictions a global pandemic brings.
Interested to learn more? Click here.
Website and Social Media Links
The Center for Violence Prevention Website
Facebook – @msc4vp
Twitter – @MSC4VP
Instagram – msc4vp
