New Partnership Launches Ultimate Healthy Relationship Resource

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Break the Cycle and the National Dating Abuse Helpline, a project of the National Council on Family Violence, are joining forces to create the most comprehensive online destination to engage, educate and empower teens and young adults to prevent and end abusive relationships--loveisrespect.org.

Break the Cycle is the nation's leading organization addressing dating abuse with more than 15 years of providing training, education, online resources, advocacy and activism. The National Dating Abuse Helpline provides the only peer-to-peer online chat in the country where trained advocates give advice to other teens and young adults.

Teen dating violence is an urgent, silent epidemic. One in three teens will experience abuse in a dating relationship and more than two-thirds of them will never report it to anyone.

"Break the Cycle's extensive experience serving teens and young adults, in collaboration with the National Dating Abuse Helpline's one of a kind chat service offers a new nationwide response to dating violence," said Marjorie Gilberg, Executive Director of Break the Cycle. "This revolutionary partnership will establish loveisrespect.org as the ultimate online source of help and information for teens and young adults."

"We are thrilled to launch this innovative partnership and project," said Dyanne Purcell, CEO of the National Dating Abuse Helpline and the National Domestic Violence Hotline. "Partnering with Break the Cycle will broaden and enhance services and resources available for the thousands of teens and young adults who contact us at loveisrespect.org."

A National Advisory Board composed of a diverse group of youth and culturally specific service providers will enhance the partnership by providing feedback on how to best serve teens and young adults.  

Loveisrespect.org will help teens and young adults, ages 12-24 navigate the spectrum of healthy relationship behaviors. Young people will learn there are options, answers and support available to them every hour of every day. Break the Cycle and the National Dating Abuse Helpline are designing the site specifically for young people, emphasizing confidentiality and trust to ensure teens nationwide feel safe and supported – online and off.

About National Dating Abuse Helpline

The National Council on Family Violence launched the National Dating Abuse Helpline in 2007 with funding from Liz Claiborne, Inc. and serves as an innovative source of support and resources for teens and young adults involved in abusive dating relationships, their peers, parents, teachers and friends. The Helpline offers services to young people across the country who are experiencing dating abuse and are seeking to engage in healthy relationships by utilizing the technologies they use most often: web, chat and telephone. Young men and women can anonymously contact trained peer-to-peer advocates by telephone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-866-331-9474 or online via live chat at www.loveisrespect.org.

About Break the Cycle

Break the Cycle believes everyone has the right to safe and healthy relationships. As the leading voice for teens on the issue of dating violence, Break the Cycle advocates for policy and legislative changes that will better protect the rights and promote the health of teens nationwide. Engaging, educating and empowering youth through prevention and intervention programs, Break the Cycle helps young people identify and build healthy relationships. For more information, please visit www.breakthecycle.org or call 310.286.3383.

Contact: Susan Risdon at (214) 226-6741 or [email protected]

SOURCE National Domestic Violence Hotline