***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
February 21, 2007

For More Information, contact:
Grace Ejiwale, Youth Program Coordinator
617-822-2897, GEjiwale@scidorchester.org

Teens Show “Tony” They Know What Domestic Violence Means and How to Help a Friend Get Out of an Abusive Relationship

On Saturday, February 9^th a room full of teenagers, mostly girls, criticized “Tony” for controlling, hitting, and intimidating his girlfriend. The teens were able to define physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, identified reasons why Tony might be harming his girlfriend, and made coherent arguments for why she should leave him. The scene could have easily been an episode of Jerry Springer, but it actually took place at during a workshop at the Fourth Annual Safe Love Event.

Over 150 teens and 40 volunteers from the Boston-area gathered for an interactive and educational evening despite the inclement weather. Teens were greeted by 18 community organizations including DotWell’s Teen Tutoring Center, Nutritionist, and HIV Testing Van. The Testing Van received eight clients in an hour and half, a huge success according to its operator.  LaWanda Jones, a Safe Love volunteer for the last two years, noted that “there was a lot of new information this year and the participants were of more diverse backgrounds” than in years past.

Safe Love was a free event open to teens ages 14 to 18 years old.  After the resource fair, a dance featuring a performance by Power Fam from the Dorchester Youth Collaborative and DJed by DotWell’s Greg Bellamy kept teens entertained and engaged for the remainder of the evening. Power Fam’s presence could not be ignored as the group’s members took turns krumping and moving around the gym to engage all attendees in celebrating Safe Love, fitness, and healthy choices.

Thank you for all the donations from local business such as Nikisha’s Roti shop and D’ Benny’s; JayCee Business and JayCee DJ & Bartending Business; Artist For Humanity and Apple Bee’s; Jimmy & Sons and Billy’s Texas BBQ for bringing a greater light to Safe Love.

The SCI Dorchester Youth Council is a group of young leaders that meet once a week to discuss new and exciting activities for youth to better their community.  Council members encourage other youth to become community leaders and help solve the problems of today’s youth.

SCI Dorchester is coordinated through a partnership between Social Capital Inc. (SCI) and DotWell. Major funding for SCI Dorchester comes from the Boston Globe Foundation and the Lenny Zakim Fund. The Massachusetts Service Alliance and Sovereign Bank also fund the Dorchester Youth Council.

For more information about Safe Love please visit our website at www.mydorchester.org

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