Lamar Observes Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
February is widely known as the month of romance, but Lamar Social Worker Cynthia Ward is bringing awareness to the negatives.
February has been celebrated as a month of romance widely believed to originate from both Christianity and ancient Roman tradition. The month is celebrated with gift giving to one another and celebrates the love shared between loved ones on a specific day, February 14th.
“I’ve always loved the month of February, the tradition of giving gifts to someone you love dearly and being able to express your love for one another in such a beautiful way,” Ward shares. “But I want to bring awareness to the possible negatives of a relationship, especially in teen relationships.”
Ward dedicates a week to teaching students around campus about the possible negatives in teen dating. There are multiple types of abuse in a relationship, including physical, mental, verbal, financial and more.
“I want to educate the younger generation about all the different types of abuse in a relationship that they should look out for,” Ward says. “It’s also surprising to see student reactions when I tell them that financial abuse is a real thing, or just when I tell them that physical abuse isn’t the only type of abuse. It’s in those moments that I wish I could inform the whole world of such issues of abuse.”
Fortunately, Ward has been able to share messages on abuse and the associated warning signs with receptive students.
Ward has many ways of making sure students get the proper information teen dating violence. Students on the student committee share presentations going over the different forms of abuse that students may face in a relationship without recognizing the signs.
To help spread awareness, staff members also wear orange shirts with awareness messaging. The shirts have the phrase ‘Love is Respect’ on the upper left hand corner near the shoulder in bold black text and on the back is a solid black ribbon with the letters ‘TDV,’ which represents “Teen Dating Violence.
“The shirts are supposed to grab the attention of students to see that there is a safe place for them if they need the help,” Wards shares. “My goal is to help students who are in need of help. I’ve helped so many teens from this school and others in the past who were in some pretty difficult relationships, and honestly it was dangerous for them to be in the positions they were in. I want to let people who are going through similar situations or worse know I am here for them and that they aren’t alone.”
There are words of affirmation posted all around campus and in the restrooms to uplift the students. The objective is for students to feel “heard,” “seen” and of course to know that there is assistance to help combat issues of teen dating violence.
Ward doesn’t plan on stopping her from educating those who need help, if you have any further questions or need someone to talk to she is located in room 210, the hotline number is 1-866-331-9474.
