February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month! Teen DV Month (sometimes called TDVAM) is a national effort to raise awareness about abuse in teen and 20-something relationships and promote programs that prevent it.
Dating violence is more common than many people think. One in three teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse by someone they are in a relationship with before they become adults. Help us spread awareness and stop dating abuse before it starts!
In February 2017, loveisrespect will be celebrating its 10th anniversary! So, we thought we’d get back to basics. Our theme for Teen DV Month 2017 is Love is . . . Respect. We’ll be talking about what respect means and why it’s so important in a healthy relationship – online and off. We hope you’ll join the conversation!
Get Involved
Follow Us
Follow loveisrespect on social media for information and updates to share with your friends and family. Share your thoughts and what you’ve learned about teen dating violence with everyone you know by posting on social media using the hashtags #teenDVmonth and #loveisrespect!
Join Our Twitter Chats
Be part of the conversation! We’ll be hosting the following Twitter chats during Teen DV Month. To join, just follow the hashtag #teendvchat.
Love is Respect, Online and Off
Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. CT
Co-hosted by That’s Not Cool!
Let’s talk about healthy online relationships, what isn’t healthy or respectful online, and other issues that young people face while using technology.
Let’s Talk About Respect + Sex, Baby
Feb. 15, 7 p.m. CT
We’ll be discussing healthy and unhealthy sexual relationships, how to talk about sex with your partner, and more!
Attend Our Webinar
Teens Helping Teens: Empowering Young People to Support Each Other
Feb. 23, 3:30 p.m. CT
Studies show that teens are more likely to go to their friends for help or support. This webinar, aimed at adult allies (educators, parents, youth organizations), will provide information and strategies for teaching young people about healthy relationships and how to support one another. Register here.
Respect Week 2017 Will Be Feb. 13 – 17
Join us for Respect Week 2017! Download the 2017 Respect Week Guide from this page for ideas and activities!
Wear Orange Day
Wear Orange Day is a national day of awareness where we encourage everyone to wear orange in honor of Teen DV Month. In 2017, it will be held on Feb. 14. You can wear orange shirts, nail polish, ribbons, jewelry, shoes or anything else you can think of! Tell people why you are wearing orange and post pictures and updates on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #Orange4Love and #RespectWeek2017.
Read and Share the National Respect Announcement
What better way to say Happy Valentine’s Day than helping all of your friends learn about healthy relationships? Help distribute the National Respect Announcement on Feb. 17, 2017. Join our Thunderclap to spread the message to your social networks. Read it to your class or your youth group. Spread the word!
With Valentine’s Day behind us, we’d like to remind you that everyone deserves a safe and healthy relationship. Remember, love has many definitions, but abuse isn’t one of them. If you or someone you know has a question about a relationship, healthy or unhealthy, visit loveisrespect.org or text “loveis” to 22522.
Keep checking back with loveisrespect for more information and updates throughout the month of February!
This includes Facebook and Twitter headers to use on your own profile, as well as images to share on social media!
You can download and print these stickers (formatted for Avery 5294 sticker sheets).
Want to urge your city or state to adopt a proclamation recognizing Teen DV Month? Download these templates!