Scarsdale Coalition Raises Awareness About Domestic Violence

(The following was submitted to Scarsdale10583 by the Scarsdale Coalition on Family Violence) Readers may notice that the majority of public violence begins at home—from Sandy Hook to the recent shooting of two police officers in Boston. Making this connection to domestic violence, the FBI hosted its first Conference on Family Violence in 2003, and the then newly formed Scarsdale Coalition on Family Violence was on hand.

Family violence crosses all socioeconomic groups, religions, races, and cultures. One in four women is a victim, and statistics on men as victims are rising as more come forward. We see, as the FBI has concluded, that domestic violence is now very much an issue of public safety.

The Coalition, a community initiative including Scarsdale Police, Board of Education, Middle and High School, Scarsdale/Edgemont Family Counseling, community members, and the student group, SHS's STAR (Students Terminating Abusive Relationships), has focused on increasing public awareness about teen dating violence. For a decade, the Coalition has partnered with SHS Youth Outreach Worker Lauren Pomerantz, LCSW, to educate teens about healthy vs. abusive dating behaviors in an annual ninth-grade program and in other initiatives.

In the coming year, the Coalition is working on broadening awareness and education for high school upperclassmen and their families, and for adults in the community. In our next community event we will partner with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin to present a panel discussion following a screening of the powerful film Audrie & Daisy on November 30 at 7 pm in the Scarsdale High School Little Theater.

There's much more to be done. We want graduating seniors and parents to be especially aware of dating violence at college. This is critical, ground-breaking work. Help us send our young adults into the world prepared for rewarding intimate relationships. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a perfect time to join our effort—please contact Lauren Pomerantz (914-721-2468), as we are recruiting volunteers.

Scarsdale Coalition on Family Violence
Penny Bauersfeld, Ann Cefola, David Kroenlein, Lauren Pomerantz and Susie Rush