“Together We Can Do More”
The three-day National Youth Leadership Roundtable marked the collaborative effort to build a multifaith network of national allies to address teen dating violence.
“Together we can do more than we can do alone,” said Sr. Eileen McCann, a participant of the National Youth Leadership Roundtable, December 5-7, 2010, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
This sentiment was shared by the diverse group of faith leaders during the three-day roundtable to more effectively address teen exposure to domestic violence and teen relationship violence in faith communities. FaithTrust Institute gathered with representatives of many faith traditions to discuss and develop solutions to the issue of teen dating violence.
“The roundtable only affirmed for me the critical need for faith leaders and communities of faith to be trained and equipped with the tools to support our youth and to work proactively to protect them as well,” said Waltrina Middleton, United Church of Christ Minister for Youth Advocacy and Leadership Formation.
The national roundtable, funded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, marked the collaborative effort to build a multifaith network of national allies to discuss and develop solutions to the issue of teen dating violence. Rev. Lizann Bassham, who has worked for over thirty years with youth and institutions that serve youth, believes that “this roundtable has the potential to offer education and resources to help our faith communities and wider culture began the important work of going from triage to prevention.”
Describing her participation as “an incredible experience,” Salma Abugideiri, Co-Director of the Peaceful Families Project, commented on the success of the event:
“Within a short time, we were able to draft a statement that respected our diversity and reflected our common values and belief that faith communities have a responsibility to be proactive in protecting our youth.”
Participants left inspired and energized to continue working toward teen dating violence prevention.
“I am most grateful and will bring these resources to bear both in my own faith community as well as in my teaching at the graduate level,” said Rodger Nishioka, Ph.D., Benton Family Associate Professor of Christian Education at Columbia Theological Seminary.
About FaithTrust Institute
Founded in 1977, FaithTrust Institute is a national, multifaith and multicultural training and education organization with global reach. FaithTrust Institute works to end sexual and domestic violence by providing religious leaders and advocates with the educational tools and knowledge they need to address the religious and cultural issues related to abuse. For more information, please visit www.faithtrustinstitute.org.
