FLDB speaks to high school students about safe dating

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, First Lady Dianne Bentley and representatives from the Family Sunshine Center spoke to both Carver High School (Montgomery) and Minor High School (Adamsville) about safe dating.  She joked with both groups that although they may be wondering what an "old lady knows about dating," she has been married for 48 years and might be able to provide insight!

In order to grab the student's attention, she informed them of the following statistics from the Center for Disease Control:

• One in three adolescent girls in the U.S. is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner.
• Nationwide, one in ten high school students has been hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
• One in five tweens (ages 11-14) say their friends are victims of dating violence and nearly half who know friends who are verbally abused.
• Fourty-five percent of teens have been pressured to become intimate.

Her goal in speaking to the students was to prevent them from becoming a part of the alarming statistics.  It is much easier to teach a teens to respect themselves and their partners rather than heal the physical and emotional wounds that come with unhealthy relationships.  She encouraged the students to really listen to the tips that the Safe Dates program shared and reminded them of their value. 

Thank you Family Sunshine Center and Verizon Wireless for the Safe Dates program and for what you are doing for Alabama teens! 

Photos Below:
1. FLDB with the Minor High School Ambassadors.
2. FLDB with the Minor High School Jazz Band who performed at the reception
3. FLBB with coaches and principal from Carver High School