Awareness months shine a light on issues in society Seemingly every month on the calendar is another awareness month recognizing one societal issue or another. January was Teen Trafficking Awareness Month. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. In April, it's Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness Month, followed by Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Pride Month in June rounds out the first six months of the calendar, but the list continues in which groups such as Bay Area Turning Point are highlighting a critical issue. "Prevention is ultimate goal." Those words came from Melissa Prentice, the outreach, education and prevention manager for BATP. The statistics Prentice provided Wednesday night (2/21/2024) at the second-annual Teen Dating Violence Awareness Art Gallery, are sobering. * 1.5 million teens experience extreme physical violence from a dating partner each year * 81 percent of parents don’t believe teen dating violence is an issue * 94 percent of girls ages 16-19 experience violence * In 2022, in Texas alone, 14 girls lost their lives due to teen dating violence Prentice said BATP hosts events throughout the year to raise awareness for numerous issues that face women and children. The organization will be conducting a web series every Friday in March highlighting women in the movement for Women’s History Month. BATP is hosting its annual “Light Up The Night” event for sexual assault awareness and child abuse awareness from 5:30 to 8:30PM Thursday (4/11/2024) at Clear Lake Park. For updates on events hosted by Bay Area Turning Point, follow the organization on social media.

Posted by i45NOW Matt at 2024-02-22 17:11:52 UTC