The Vagina Monologues

“V” is for Victory, Valentine, and Vagina.

V-Day is one of the largest global movements that helps put an end to violence against women and girls. The movement helps raise awareness and funds through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play “The Vagina Monologues”. V-Day takes place once a year, in February, March and April, allowing groups around the world to produce a performance of Ensler’s play. The proceeds from the performances must be donated to local domestic violence shelters or rape centers.

In 2011, over 5,800 V-Day benefit events took place. They were produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. V-Day has raised over $85 million and educated millions about the issues of violence against women.

 Statistically, women are 85 percent more likely to be victims of domestic violence. In 2010, The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that one in four women have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner. These numbers are alarming, but fortunately, thanks to the awareness and funds that are raised through efforts such as V-Day, violence can be prevented and help can be made available for victims of domestic violence. 

Florida Coastal School of Law’s Law Students Against Violence will be participating in this year’s V-Day movement by presenting The Vagina Monologues Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3, 2012 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre. Tickets are $10 and 90 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Hubbard House. For reservations, information, or to donate, email vaginamonologues2012@yahoo.com.

 

Information provided by: http://www.cdc.gov and http://www.vday.org

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please call the Hubbard House 24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help. 

ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE: Founded as the first domestic violence shelter in Florida in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 6,000 women, children, and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic childcare, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit http://www.hubbardhouse.org to learn more. 

By: Lindsay Van-Zant

Teen Digital Abuse

February is Teen Dating Violence  Awareness Month. One issue that greatly affects teens today is digital abuse. Digital abuse is the use of technology, such as email, social networking, and texting, to bully, harass, stalk, or intimidate the recipient. A study by the Associated Press and MTV found that 50 percent of 14-to-24-year-olds have experienced some type of digital abuse.

Many of these teens allow the abuse of themselves, or of their friends, because they believe it is normal. They don’t really understand what digital abuse is and many parents do not realize that it is occurring.

Warning Signs of Digital Abuse:

• Your partner tells you who you can or can’t be friends with on social networking sites.
• Your partner sends you harassing, negative, insulting, or threatening online messages.
• Your partner uses social networking sites to keep constant tabs on you.
• Your partner puts you down in their status updates.
• Your partner sends you unwanted, explicit pictures or videos, and demands you send pictures and/or video of you in return.
• Your partner steals or demands your passwords for your online accounts.
• Your partner constantly texts you and make you feel threatened if you are not attached to your phone to respond.
• Your partner searches through your phone frequently, checking your photos, texts, incoming and outgoing calls.

Some Advice for Parents:

Start a discussion and let your teen know you’re always there for them. Help them set boundaries. Check up on them and keep an eye on their social media postings. Have a zero-tolerance policy on sexting, cybering, and explicit videos. Teach them to be upstanders (someone who sticks up for others), not bystanders. Talk about the pressure to broadcast and about what’s private. Perhaps the best advice is to start talking about what constitutes a healthy, respectful relationship as early as possible.

Did You Know?

• 30%  of teens ages 14-24 have sent or received nude pictures on their phone or online.
• 69% said that digital abuse is a serious problem for people within their age group.
• Electronic monitoring of some kind is used in 1-in-13 victims.
• 22% feel that their partner checks up on them too often.
• 74% of boys and 66% of girls say they have not had a conversation with their parents in the past about dating abuse.
• 58% of parents can not correctly identify all signs of abuse.

Information provided by: http://www.athinline.org, http://www.loveisrespect.org, http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org, news.cnet.com, loveisnotabuse.com, http://www.commonsensemedia.org

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please call the Hubbard House 24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help. 

ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE: Founded as the first domestic violence shelter in Florida in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 6,000 women, children, and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic childcare, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit http://www.hubbardhouse.org to learn more.

By: Katie Swanson

Volunteer Spotlight: Heinz Portion Control

Volunteers founded Hubbard House in 1976, and today our volunteers continue to serve a vital role in every aspect of the agency. Why are volunteers so important to Hubbard House? Volunteers contribute their time and energy, their ideas and their ideals. They increase our visibility in the community, expand our capacity to provide services, and send a strong message of caring to our clients.

It is because of the support and generosity given by Hubbard House volunteers and donors that we are able to provide services to more than 6,000 women, children, and men annually and ensure that their hope for peace, dreams of tomorrow, and strength for their children are not lost.

This volunteer spotlight focuses on the wonderful employees of Heinz Portion Control who hosted a birthday party for the children staying at the Hubbard House Shelter to celebrate all January birthdays.

At the party the children enjoyed decorating and eating cookies, playing carnival-style games, and receiving goody bags as parting gifts. We asked Joan Nash, Heinz Portion Control employee and volunteer project leader, a few questions about their experience volunteering at Hubbard House:

Why did your organization decide to donate time and resources to Hubbard House?  Hubbard House was one of our Community Grant Recipients in May 2011. In addition to the grant that Hubbard House received from our company, the Jacksonville Heinz team has wanted to partner with Hubbard House on a volunteer/community service event and the January Children’s Birthday Party was the perfect opportunity for our team to get involved.       

What made you get connected with Hubbard House?  Our Jacksonville Heinz team was so excited to help out and sponsor the January Children’s Birthday Party at the Hubbard House when the opportunity became available to us.  While our team supports a variety of organizations throughout the year, we are passionate about helping children and improving their life experiences.  This was a great opportunity for us to work with children and bring some joy and happiness into their lives.

What has your experience volunteering at Hubbard House taught you?  I thought it best to quote some of the Heinz team members…

“Volunteering at this event taught me about the issues surrounding domestic violence especially the impact on the children who suffer physical abuse and emotional abuse. At the birthday party, the joy on their faces brought me an unimaginable experience in that I became an instrument for temporary relief of their sadness.”

                      

“Volunteering at Hubbard House taught me that we succeeded in making each and every one of those children that attended the birthday celebration feel like the party was personalized for them. … It was a tremendous joy throwing the party for them!”

                                                   

“Volunteering at Hubbard House allowed me to see the great work Hubbard House is doing for these children as they deal with the trauma of domestic violence. The birthday party we threw allowed the children to forget about their own traumas and have some fun for a couple of hours!”

“Volunteering at Hubbard House was extremely rewarding. … It was rewarding to make them forget what they are going through for a few hours.”

Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities available at Hubbard House or contact Tracy Knight at (904) 354-0076 ext. 251 or tknight@hubbardhouse.org.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please call the Hubbard House 24-hour domestic violence hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help.

ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE: Founded as the first domestic violence shelter in Florida in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 6,000 women, children, and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic childcare, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit www.hubbardhouse.org to learn more.

 

Love Is…

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary love is “…a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties, attraction based on sexual desire, or affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests.”

We’ve heard that love is patient, love is kind, and love is the beauty of the soul. Love is a lot of things, but love is never abuse. For Valentine’s Day, a day that so many celebrate love, we at Hubbard House, the domestic violence center serving Duval and Baker counties, want everyone to really think about what love is.

Check out this video by loveisrespect.org to see how love is defined by others.

Love in healthy relationships is respectful. It is free from physical, mental, emotional, psychological, and digital abuse. Here are characteristics of a healthy relationship:

• Being willing to compromise with each other.
• Accepting change.
• Making relationship/family decisions together.
• Talking and acting in a way that makes each other feel safe and comfortable.
• Listening to each other non-judgmentally.
• Valuing each other’s opinions, supporting each other’s goals, and respecting each other’s rights to your own feelings, friends, and activities.
• Admitting when you are wrong.
• Communicating openly and truthfully.

For more healthy relationship characteristics click here. To learn more about the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship click here.  

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please call the Hubbard House hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help.

ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE: Founded as the first domestic violence shelter in Florida in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 6,000 women, children, and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic childcare, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit www.hubbardhouse.org to learn more.

By Katie Swanson

February is Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month

Would you be able to recognize the warning signs of teen dating violence? As a parent, you want to believe that relationship violence would never happen to your child. However, in reality it happens more than you would imagine, and it’s most often happening on your watch.

DID YOU KNOW:

•  89 percent of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 say they have been in dating relationships
• 1 in 3 teens experience some kind of abuse in their romantic relationships
• 1 in 5 high school girls are physically or sexually hurt by a dating partner
• About 10 percent of students nationwide report being physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the past 12 months
• Girls and women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence
• Teen girls face relationship violence three times more than adult women
• Only 33 percent of teens who have been in or have known about an abusive dating relationship report having told anyone about it
• 1 in 4 teens who have been in a serious relationship say that a boyfriend or girlfriend has tried to prevent them from spending time with friends or family; the same number have been pressured to only spend time with their partner.

Abusive partners maintain all power and control over the victim. This means isolating them from their family and friends – insisting that all time be spent together, and controlling what they wear and where they go. In addition, the abuser often monitors cell phone use and emails, and demanding contact with the victim at all times. If not compliant, the abuser may threaten to leave or cause harm, such as physical or sexual abuse.

Most often, teens think these behaviors are a sign of love and are typically unaware that their relationship is unhealthy. Because they are unable to recognize these controlling, possessive behaviors as abuse, the violence they encounter may lead to negative effects on their health such as depression, drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, and even suicide. 

So parents, how do you know for sure? Listed below are a few warning signs that your teen may be in a violent relationship:

• Distances themselves from their friends and family
• Looses interest in activities they previously enjoyed
• Constantly checking their cell phone and gets upset when asked to put their phone away or turn it off
• Is withdrawn and quieter than usual
• Is angry and irritable when asked how they are doing
• Makes excuses for their partner
• Has unexplained scratches, bruises and injuries on their body
• Brushes off violent behaviors from their partner

As a parent, you need to talk with your teens about dating violence. Remember, just because in your eyes they are still your babies, in their eyes they are old enough to take on the world. Explain to your children what constitutes a healthy, respectful relationship, and always give them assurance that you are there to help keep them safe and happy.

Statistics from www.loveisrespect.org and loveisnotabuse.com.

RESOURCES

• Hubbard House: domestic violence center serving Duval and Baker counties – 24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119, www.hubbardhouse.org 
• Rape Crisis Hotline: (904) 244-RAPE
• National Teen Dating Hotline: (866) 331-9474, www.loveisrespect.org (has live chat)
• Teen Internet Dating Info: www.loveisnotabuse.com  
• Break The Cycle: The only national non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to ending dating abuse. www.breakthecycle.org, www.thesafespace.org

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please call the Hubbard House hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help.

ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE: Founded as the first domestic violence shelter in Florida in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 6,000 women, children, and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic childcare, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit www.hubbardhouse.org to learn more.

By Lindsay Van-Zant