The Town of Forest Heights will have the privilege of co-hosting its first "Raising Queens Table Talk" with the Oxon Hill based non profit group An Earthly Embrace, Inc. The event, which is being held in observance of Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month, will educate local young girls between the ages of 13 and 18 on relationship abuse and will provide ways to help build self-esteem. Prior to the round table, the group is hosting a fundraiser (registration for the fundraiser information is below).
Ms. Cynthia Eugene, founder of An Earthly Embrace, Inc. believes that education youths on relationship abuse is extremely important when it comes to prevention and that the community, in addition to parents should get involved, "We want to encourage everyone to start these conversations early, to keep them hones, discuss them as they are when they are, and allow people to identify those signs (of abuse) within themselves or within another and to get out (of those abusive relationships) as quickly as possible so that it's not affecting another generation. Over 50 percent of young men who witness abuse in the home will become an abuser; the same with young women". She believes that by hosting such talks that the young women involved can walk away knowing that it's not ok to accept anything that is not healthy for you, to be strong, to find a trusted person to talk to, and to meet other young women that they can build a sisterhood with.
Registration for young women to be involved in the Table Talk is available online and for more information you can visit the group's website (link below) or Facebook page "An Earthly Embrace"
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Thank you
Mayor Jacqueline Goodall
"Women determine the type of society we live in and we must never forget the influence and power we have." - Winnie Mandela