For Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) 2016, our theme is “Listen and Believe.” While that might sound simple and straightforward, listening is a skill that we can all develop and improve over time. At REACH, we often hear from friends and family who are concerned about a loved one who is in an abusive relationship. So often, friends and family are worried about having the “right”…
Sometimes it feels that there are no words. And sometimes it feels that there are too many words. So much happening in our world today and the news comes at us immediately and over and over again. Each of us has our own response to the news – including all of us at REACH. Each of us gets our news from different sources, reads different posts…
For many of us, summer camp was an unforgettable part of our childhood. We made friends, learned new skills, and experienced different surroundings…all adding up to memories that last a lifetime. What you may not have realized, in between archery lessons and roasting s’mores, is that you were also building what mental health experts call “resiliency” – the quality that allows us to bounce back from…
Today we present the last in our series on talking to your kids about healthy relationships. This may be the most challenging group yet, kids ages 15-18! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our other posts on talking to kids ages 3-6, 7-10, and 11-14. We also have some suggestions for talking to young adults as they head off to college. With rapid…
This week, we present the third in our series of blogs on how to talk to your kids about relationships. Previously, we discussed ages 3-6 and 7-10. This week, we look at ways to engage kids ages 11-14. As kids navigate middle school and enter high school, the social and dating landscape changes. How can you help them be ready for the challenges they might face…
This week, we present the 2nd week in our series of tips on to talk to your kids about relationships. Last week we talked about kids who are 3-6 years old. Today we’re talking about kids ages 7-10. What’s the best way to impart good relationship skills to kids of this age as they move through elementary school and approach middle school? Read on for some…
As we enter the home stretch of summer, we realize that you may have more opportunities to spend time talking to the kids in your life. If camp has ended, if you’re doing some back to school shopping…these are opportunities to start shaping kids’ perceptions about healthy relationships, no matter how young they are. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be presenting a series of blogs…
Almost two years ago, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Boston Globe about a case that had just made the news. This case has been in the headlines again: now dubbed the ‘Snapchat rape case,’ the defendants were recently found guilty. The questions I posed in that letter feel even more crucial in the current environment: When will we accept that society refuses…
The Supreme Court deadlocked last Thursday on a challenge to President Obama’s programs to keep millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. The 4-4 split on the court upholds a lower court ruling that halted Obama’s November 2014 effort to allow these immigrants to live and work in the United States legally. The Supreme Court’s tie effectively ended two immigration programs Obama created in November 2014 after…
A few weeks ago, REACH held our Annual Meeting which featured a panel discussion around promoting healthy relationships and addressing sexual assault on college campuses. We invited follow-up questions and reached out to our panelists for their input. Read on for the questions and the panelists’ answers:
