love our future, don't hurt it!

April is Child Abuse prevention month. I really did not know that until this past week. I'm following Demi Lovato on twitter and she posted a story about a young boy who committed suicide because he was tired of being bullied at school.
The full story can be viewed here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/23/bullying.suicide/index.html. It's unfortunate that a child can be hurt so much from his peers at school that he thought that the best way out was to kill himself. I can personally remembered being bullied as far back as kindergarten, I'm a junior in high school now and I still occasionally see bullying around school among teenagers and even in the younger children I sometimes work with. It really hurts to get bullied, It's one of the worst things you can experience. I'm so glad the Demi Lovato is taking a stand agaisnt bullying and child abuse because with her fame, she can raise awareness of child abuse and bullying everywhere so that there aren't anymore tragic stories about young people commiting suicide due to the pain caused from bullying.
At http://www.loveourchildrenusa.org/StompOutBullying/ they have really cute wristbands and other products and information on bullying. I hope to get my wristband in the mail soon!

Here are some thoughts on Child Abuse and Bullying from some awesome teens!

• I really think that bullying has to deal with repressed self-esteem issues and flaw of character. It's very wrong because not only is that person expressing their anger in a violent matter but it causes pyschological and physical harm to whoever is suffering from it. -G.B. female, age 16

• I believe it's a trickle down process. Bullies are most likely being victimized at home, and then decide to retaliate on another person. Since they feel helpless at home, the feel as if they can take on a harder persona elsewhere and bully others. -C.E. female, 16

• I think that it's bad and it's just people taking out their anger or actiing out of boredom. I also think that sometimes people bully others because they had it done to them. -S.M. female, age 16

Demi Lovato's PSA. She's amazing!!!

solving the puzzle

The answer is Autism.

The T-Shirt above was designed by my HOSA group. We all wore them on the same day to raise awareness of Autsim. The puzzle piece is used because it represents hope for autistic people and their families. The puzzle piece may also represent the search for anything that can cure or prevent Autism. The backs of our shirts had the word Autism printed in huge bold letters. Please visit http://nationalautismassociation.org/ for ways youcan help.

:)

failed affairs and harsh actions

Domestic Violence...

• Domestic violence is the control of one partner by another in a marital, dating, or live-in relationship. It includes physical, mental, and economic abuse, threats and isolation. It is a major problem in the United States, affecting over 30 million Americans.

Domestic violence is one of my most major causes. I had to do a research paper on this topic in English a while back and through my research, I've discovered that Domestic Violence is a horrible problem that needs to be brought to attention to people everywhere. It's worse then most people realize. I think we should pay more attention to this topic, not just because it was hot in the media, but because it affects an estimated 30 million Americans and one of them could be you or someone close to you.

How can this probelm be solved?

Here are some of my thoughts on possible solutions to bring the number of domestic violence victims down to a much lower number:

I think that the problem can be solved but the solution has to begin with educators, victims, and potential victims. Domestic violence can be reduced if victims, educators and survivors taught people about the cycle of abuse and the characteristics of an abusive person or partner. It would also help if counseling and therapy was available for individuals who have been marked as potentially abusive according to the known characteristics of an abusive partner.

The cycle of abuse is like an un-merry-go-round. It starts off with an unbelievable, special romance. Then, out of nowhere, one partner, the abusive partner, begins to get moody while the other partner tries to console them. The abusive partner will then go off, harming the other verbally or physically. The abusive partner promises that it will never happen again but the cycle repeats itself. Hopefully, if more people begin relationships knowing the cycle, they will be able to identify the parts of the cycle and get out of the relationship before the cycle can reach its worst part or even repeat itself.

Aside from the cycle of abuse, people should also be very familiar with the characteristics of abusive partners so that they can identify an abusive partner before they have the chance to be abused. If abusive partners can be identified before they actually harm someone, they get therapy to prevent it from ever happening. That would decrease the number of domestic violence cases and the number of victims.

I think that for a problem, there is a solution and this problem will be solved. Together we can stomp out domestic violence by raising awareness. visit http://dosomething.org/ for more info and other ways you can help raise awareness. Awareness leads to action so anything you can do will always help! :)

Here are some views on domestic violence from some awesome people (feel free to add yours):

• C.R. female, 17: Domestic Violence is a harsh reality that is ignored. The people that have the power to change the situation often don't because of numerous, crazy reasons, like denial or "love." Domestic violence affects everyone, especially children who have to watch their parents be be abused or be involved in the abuse themselves. Those situations emotionally scar many and cause problems that may not show until later, such as attachment issues and trust issues. No matter what, if not stopped, horrible effects will be caused which will follow someone affected by the abuse for a short period of time, or worse, a lifetime.
• G.B. female, 16: My view on domestic violence is that there is absolutely no need for an individual to withstand any abuse from another individual . It should be severely punished by law and not easily pardoned. Domestic violence should be brought to awareness!
• K.A. male, 16: Well I would never hit my girl or abuse her in anyway that she's not comfortable with and I don't think that it is right for anyone to do it whether it be man or woman.

what do you think?

visit http://www.ndvh.org/ and join the million voices campaign

:)