October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) began observing DVAM back in the ’80s as an effort to get domestic violence (DV) service providers collaborating and problem-solving. Since the ‘80s, advocates have continued mobilizing communities to promote DV awareness and prevention and improve the support available to victim-survivors.
This past month has been an exciting one for our Men’s Engagement Program. For those of you who don’t already know, The Center for Campus Wellness recently launched a brand-new program dedicated to intentionally engaging with men across campus in topics such as gender-based violence prevention and mental health.
Domestic violence is behavior in a relationship or household—typically within an intimate relationship—that is used to obtain or reinforce power and control over the other party (United Nations). As this year’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) co-chairs, and on behalf of the Center for Campus Wellness, we would like to welcome you to a month that does more than call our attention to the existence of domestic violence.
Suicidal thoughts often have no specific target. They can affect anyone despite their age, gender, or background. Suicidality is a serious symptom of untreated mental illness and has only been aggravated among youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have started a new school year with the shadow of the past year and a half still hanging over us. We’ve changed how we work, learn, and socialize. We’ve changed how we shop for groceries, how we pass one another on the street, even how we wash our hands.