As the days shorten and the temperature drops, school days begin again. Roads and subways are full of students and teachers. Staples ads proclaim this “the most wonderful time of the year” - - for parents.
School is not always the safest place for a student to be. In New York City high schools and intermediate schools, over a quarter of teen girls will be harassed, or bullied, or threatened by their dating partners. Many thanks to the Center’s supporters and to the members of New York’s City Council that the Teen RAPP Adopt a School program will be going back to school this fall. With workshops, counseling and leadership development, the Teen Relationship Abuse Prevention Program stops bullying and dating violence. It works from the inside out to create schools with no tolerance for abuse.
Return to school poses extra challenges for the 150 children in the Center’s three domestic violence emergency shelters. Many children who witness violence at home perform badly in school; while they are away from home they worry about what’s going on and cannot concentrate. While other young children attend school and learn to break the code for reading and arithmetic success, young children of domestic violence victims are often kept at home for protection. At the shelters, we offer after school homework help with nutritious snacks and tutoring. You can give a young student the gift of school supplies by donating here.
Without intervention, young children who have witnessed domestic violence are two times as likely to become abusers or victims. With your support, the Center Against Domestic Violence is building a more peaceful world – one child at a time.
