Safe Haven Shelter and Verizon Partner to Bridge the Digital Divide about Dating Abuse

DULUTH, Minn., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon, through the Verizon Foundation, announced today a $20,000 grant to Safe Haven Shelter for the development of an innovative workshop program for parents of pre-teen and teenage children on Bridging the Digital Divide.  The grant program was announced at Safe Haven Shelter's "Protecting the Innocent" luncheon, which was supported by a $5,000 Verizon Wireless HopeLine® grant.

The Digital Divide workshop program's goal will be to provide parents with hands-on experience with the latest technology while educating them about the prevalence of teen dating violence, the warning signs of digital dating abuse, resources that are available to address the abuse and appropriate actions to take for abusive situations.

The free workshop curriculum will be developed and piloted over the 2011-2012 year, according to Maude Dornfeld, Community Education Coordinator, of Safe Haven Shelter.  "We are grateful to Verizon for supporting this exciting project. We know that parents need to be educated on how the use of the Internet and digital technologies can be used to humiliate, threaten or control a current or former dating partner," said Dornfeld. "Parents struggle to keep pace with the rapidly changing technology that youth have embraced, falling victim to a digital generation gap.  As a result, many parents are ill-equipped to recognize or respond to the dangers of digital dating abuse."

Recent research sponsored by MTV and the Associated Press indicates that 50 percent of 14 to 24-year-olds have been the target of some form of digital abuse which includes sending excessive or threatening text messages, posting negative comments or rumors on social network sites and sending or forwarding inappropriate text or picture messages.  

"Wireless devices can enhance safety and security, but at the same time it is critical that we educate parents and teens about how to use these devices and the Internet responsibly," said Seamus Hyland, president-Great Plains Region, Verizon Wireless.  "By supporting organizations such as Safe Haven Shelter, we are reinforcing our commitment to the communities we serve and the prevention of dating abuse."

Verizon empowers its customers with Parental Control tools, such as content ratings, call blocking, text and call limits, Family Locator service and more.  The Verizon Parental Control Center can be accessed at http://parentalcontrolcenter.com.  In addition, Verizon offers Smart Phone Parenting(SM) workshops for advice on phone usage for the families.  Organizations in the Twin Ports area can request a free Smart Phone Parenting workshop presentation or find more information at www.smartphoneparenting.com.

The Verizon Foundation uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

In addition, Verizon Wireless supports domestic violence agencies around the country through the HopeLine® phone recycling and reuse program. Since 2001, HopeLine has collected more than 8 million phones; awarded more than $10 million in cash grants to prevention and awareness programs nationwide; and donated more than 106,000 HopeLine phones with 319 million minutes of airtime to victims, survivors and domestic violence organizations.  For more information on how to donate no-longer-used devices, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

About Safe Haven Shelter

Each year, Safe Haven Shelter for Battered Women in Duluth, Minn. provides services to more than 1,500 women and children whose lives have been affected by domestic abuse.  In addition to emergency shelter, Safe Haven provides legal advocacy, support services, information and referrals.  Safe Haven's Community Education Program works to end domestic violence by raising awareness of the issue and providing training to school, community and professional groups.  24-hour crisis line: 877-880-3094.  For more information, visit www.safehavenshelter.org.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 94.1 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 194,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless