It's Time to Talk Day

So I was browsing the Department of Education's website today and came across this article. Apparently December 3rd was national "It's Time to Talk Day." What is this day? It is a day where adults talk to the youth about healthy relationships, domestic violence, and abuse. This is the 6th day held to acknowledge the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that was passed 15 years ago. The Department of Education has partnered with other organizations, such as Start Strong, "the largest initiative ever funded to target 11-to-14-year-olds" and Liz Claiborne Inc., who have organized the event since 2004

“For too long, we’ve been unwilling to face the reality that teen dating violence occurs,” Secretary Duncan said. “It’s been a taboo subject folks would simply not talk about. But we can’t afford to do that anymore. Too many young people are getting hurt. We must all do our part to break the silence and work toward eliminating teen dating violence.”


I find it interesting that this article was on the Department of Education. This is a serious topic that usually gets glanced over in society, especially in the school system. I know that back at home domestic violence is never talked about. If anything, it is a social norm that everyone learns to deal with. To give an example, when I was a kid the teachers explained rain during a sunny day like this. "The devil is beating his wife." We all knew what it meant, and we didn't say anything. I feel like this is a positive step forward if schools can engage in this kind of conversations with their students and their parents. It is a very real situation that has yet to be addressed in the United States. If children can realize the importance of healthy relationships it can alter the history of many students who live in an environment of abuse.