It’s February… And the color of the month is… ORANGE!

It’s February… And the color of the month is… ORANGE!

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM) and our WISE and MOST Clubs are on a roll. Our club members have broken down the “woman box” and “man box” and discussed the many pressures society puts on us to fit into these boxes. We have discussed gender roles, stereotypes and expectations that normally represent these boxes and have talked about how these expectations can lead to violence in relationships. We spoke a bit about conflict management and anger resolutions, too.

Ridgeland Hardeeville High School MOST Club

Beaufort Middle School WISE Club

These conversations have set us up perfectly to begin our discussions on healthy relationships, unhealthy relationships and abusive relationships this month. We will dive deep into the characteristics and behaviors of each type of relationship. We will discuss red flags and warning signs of abusive relationships and study intervention skills to help us become helpful bystanders.

To keep the non-club students in the loop, we will post resources, posters and fliers throughout the hallways, restrooms, etc. at schools, sharing ways they too can participate in TDVAM.

Club members will participate in lunchtime awareness activities and promote TDVAM by passing out orange ribbons, palm cards, resources, etc. We will host a few grade-wide assemblies, encourage them to participate in social media campaigns and even encourage them to wear orange to advocate for healthy relationships.