Everyone has relationships. Everyone. In any circumstance. Cool, right? It could be your parents, your friends, your family. As human beings, we are delightfully social creatures. We need these connections for mental and emotional health, and reassurance. But one of the most common relationships you can have (and the one that most people think of when hearing the word ‘relationship’) is the one you have with your chosen, significant other. Oh, you know, dating! This semester, VOX Investigates will be exploring the concepts of what makes a relationship healthy and loving — as well as what makes them unhealthy sometimes. Check out my VOX-mates’ voices as we kick off this work.
- Catherine Boyd, 18
I never realized…
I didn’t realize how big of an issue dating violence is in Atlanta. I guess I read too much fan fiction. I thought that teens in relationships would be like puppy love, like how books show it. I didn’t realize how much goes into a relationship until now.
- Jason Crichton, 14, Therrell High School
I want to learn more…
I feel sooo much more informed on domestic/dating violence, OMG!! I still have some questions surrounding how much to impose on another person’s relationship if you notice things aren’t quite right between them and their partner, but hopefully through research … I’ll gain a better understanding of how to deal with bad situations and others. Abuse is, perhaps, more widely discussed than it once was, but has it improved/lessened? I think it would be interesting to analyze how TV, films, music, etc. perpetuate, if not promote, abusive relationships and encourage us to continue them and/or glorify them.
I kind of wish we could discuss how this issue is much, much, much more prevalent in certain parts of the world. I love knowing about the culture of other places, and rape culture in other countries is obviously very different than it is here.
- Holyn Thigpen, 15, DeKalb School of the Arts
My eyes have been opened
My eyes have been quite opened today. I was very surprised by many of the statistics and just how common a lot of this abuse was. It was also very interesting the ways a lot of people interpret these situations and how each person in the relationship can be a bringer of the tension.
- Mikael Trench, 17, Wheeler High School
We’ll be at the #PADVTeenSummit on March 5. Click here to join us! It’s free!
For information about dating violence or resources for help, visit loveisrespect.org, call the helpline or text: LOVEIS TO 22522
