October 2020
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence impacts many people in many ways and at Saint Vincent College, we talk about how to help survivors all year long. During October, we want to focus on a core way to prevent domestic violence—by encouraging discussion about healthy relationships, their importance, and what they look like. We are talking about all kinds of relationships in our lives—family, friends, classmates, significant others, teammates, and so on. By highlighting healthy relationships this month, we hope to start an important conversation about healthy lives and communities.
Healthy relationships bring out the best in you and make you feel good about yourself. A healthy relationship does not mean a “perfect” relationship. The relationships we form with other people, whether they are romantic or platonic, are vital to our mental and emotional wellbeing. Throughout the month of October, Saint Vincent and Blackburn Center, Westmoreland County’s domestic and sexual violence crisis center, will be sharing information about healthy relationships, recognizing the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, and more, as well as giving you a chance to participate in some activities that let show examples of healthy relationships in your lives, including:
- Meme Mania – create a meme based on one (or more) of the characteristics of a healthy relationship.
- Scavenger Hunt – using the characteristics of a healthy relationship, earn points by completing specific tasks tied to these characteristics.
- Fantastic Friendships – Submit a photo and explain how your friendship is built on the characteristics of a healthy relationship.
- #PurpleThursday – Wear purple on Thursday, October 29th to help raise awareness about domestic and dating violence. Purple, a color that has long been used by women seeking justice, is worn in October to not only raise awareness, but to also encourage conversation about domestic violence, with the goal of lessening it and building healthy relationships. While women are the primary victims of domestic violence, both men and women can be victims. One in three women and one in four men have suffered abuse in relationships.
The Saint Vincent Wellness Center will feature student submissions on its Instagram feed, and students will also be entered into drawings that will take place throughout the month of October for special prizes. There will also be an information table in the Carey Center Lounge one day each week. Students should check the Saint Vincent portal and their stvincent.edu email every Monday in October for information about each week’s schedule.
