When Kate McGuckin describes dating violence among teens,
passion pierces through in her voice. Her fight is not only with
individual instances of violence, but with an entire culture of
aggression. “We live in a very violent society,” said the
director of My Sister’s Place, a domestic abuse shelter in
Athens, “and the media glamorizes violence. We have a huge
barrier trying to compete with the media.” So, with aid from the
Athens Foundation, My Sister’s Place recently partnered with
Girl Power! to produce its first sessions of “Teen Power”, a
program on dating violence for young teens. More than 40 area
girls from ages 8 to 14 attended. The curriculum educated the
girls on the characteristics of a healthy relationship, how to
recognize abuse in a relationship, and what resources are
available if they fear they are victims of abuse. Teen dating
violence is a tangible danger in Athens and across the nation.
Studies of eighth and ninth grade students found that a quarter
of them had suffered nonsexual violence