About the Texas Team
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Partner Agencies
SafePlace's Expect Respect Program builds healthy teen relationships and prevents dating and sexual violence. Serving Austin for over 20 years, Expect Respect provides school-based support groups, youth leadership training, and prevention activities for schools and the community. Expect Respect is the lead partner in Start Strong Austin, one of 11 sites participating in the national Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships Initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Barri Rosenbluth
LCSW, Expect Respect Program Director
expectrespect@safeplace.org
www.safeplace.org
(512) 356-1628
The purpose of the Ortralla LuWone Mosley Foundation, Inc. is to help teens who find themselves in a dating abuse situation. The crime of teen dating abuse results in loss of self-esteem, mental abuse, physical abuse and death. We will serve as a means of support for tweens, teens and also for parents who have lost children as a result of dating abuse.
Carolyn Mosley
cmosley@ortrallafoundation.org
www.ortrallafoundation.org
(512) 250-0214
Texas School Safety Center's training and technical assistance helps Texas schools understand the requirements of the dating violence law, and provides resources to promote gender respect on campuses. In addition, the center's trainers provide presentations to students, helping to reinforce campus messages about healthy relationships.
Curtis Clay
Texas School Safety Center
cc36@txstate.edu
www.txssc.txstate.edu
(512) 245-8082
The Texas Advocacy Project (formerly Women's Advocacy Project) is a statewide, nonprofit, legal organization that promotes access to justice for Texans in need. Started in 1982 as a legal hotline, the agency has evolved over the years into a leading service provider in the field of family law, particularly where it pertains to helping survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. We now provide a full range of legal services to victims of these crimes across the state of Texas, including our newest program, the Teen Justice Initiative. The Teen Justice Initiative advocates for survivors of teen dating violence by: collaborating with groups working on domestic violence, sexual assault, and youth issues to increase awareness of teen legal rights among young people, parents, schools, and the community; AND providing free and confidential legal advice and referrals to victims of teen dating violence in Texas and legal representation to minors seeking protective orders.
Dating Violence Legal Line
1-800-374-HOPE
www.TexasAdvocacyProject.org
(512) 225-9579
History of the Texas Dating Violence Prevention Team
2004
The American Bar Association (ABA) calls for a National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Summit to be attended by 1 adult and 1 youth representative from each state. They contact the Governor's Commission for Women to identify the Texas participants, Shannon Sandrea, a counselor at SafePlace, and Rae Ann Spence, a young survivor of Dating Violence.
2005
As part of the National Initiative, The Governor's Commission for Women identifies individuals and agencies to comprise the Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Initiative Texas Team including The Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV), the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA), SafePlace, and the Women's Advocacy Project. (This is the beginning of an unprecedented collaboration for these Family Violence and Sexual Assault agencies in Texas)
Liz Claiborne and Break the Cycle launch their own national campaign against dating violence, "Love is Not Abuse."
Launch of the Women's Advocacy Project's Teen Justice Initiative- the only program in the state to provide outreach, education, and legal services to teen survivors of dating violence.
2006
Congress declares February 6-10, 2006 to be the first National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week and Governor Rick Perry issues a proclamation on Texas's observance of the week (1st State to do so). The ABA produces informative tool-kits developed at the 2004 summit and distributes 15 to each participating state. The Texas Team receives a 10K grant from the Governor's Office to purchase/distribute 25 additional kits.
The Centers for Disease Control launch their own national campaign against dating violence, "Choose Respect" and implement pilot programs in 10 cities across the country, including Austin, Texas (with the help of SafePlace).
TCFV and the Attorney General's Office release the first Texas statistics on dating violence as part of their statewide campaign on dating violence, "Know the Red Flags." We learn the 75% of Texas teens have either experienced dating violence or know someone who has.
2007
The Second Annual Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week is observed. The Texas Team produces their own tool-kits and distributes 200 across the state with the help of a grant from the Governor's Commission for Women.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline and Liz Claiborne announce the launch of a new Teen Dating Violence Helpline to be housed in Austin, Texas.
HB121 Passes, effective immediately, all Texas school districts must create a dating violence policy including (1) a definition of dating violence, (2) sections on safety planning, (3) enforcement of protective orders, (4) school-based alternatives to protective orders, (5) training for teachers and administrators, (6) counseling for affected students, and (7) awareness education for students and parents/guardians. The Texas Dating Violence Prevention Team & TEA distribute a document titled, "Guide to Addressing Dating Violence in Texas Schools" based on materials from Austin, Boston, Rhode Island, New York, and California, to help schools comply with the new law.
2008
The Third Annual Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week is observed. The Texas Team uses a 50K grant from TEA to pilot and evaluate a new and improved Texas Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week Toolkit to 200 interdisciplinary teams across the state. All teams are trained and a formal evaluated is begun. A website for the Texas Team is launched: www.HealthyTeenDating.org