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OCTOBER 2000 <br />WHEREAS, domestic violence, once a secret kept among families, is now recognized as a serious <br />crime in our community, and <br />WHEREAS, domestic violence has severe consequences for survivors, their children and families and <br />impacts on the quality of life of the entire community; and <br />WHEREAS, stopping the cycle of this crime requires not only the resolve and courage of survivors, but <br />also support and involvement from all of us; and <br />WHEREAS, enhanced education, prevention and intervention help increase public awareness of the <br />severity and extent of domestic violence; and <br />WHEREAS, violence in the home is a problem that affects every socioeconomic level in our society, <br />occurring in wealthy and disadvantaged neighborhoods and involving the employed and <br />unemployed; and <br />WHEREAS, domestic violence is generally learned and passed down from one generation to another; <br />and <br />WHEREAS, our society pays a high price for domestic violence through homelessness, increased <br />crime rates, drug and alcohol abuse, increased medical expenses and business losses; <br />and <br />WHEREAS, during the month of October, local, state and national domestic violence agencies will <br />sponsor events to help us focus public attention on the problem of domestic violence; <br />IVOW, THEREFORE, The Orange County Board of County Commissioners hereby proclaim the month <br />of October 2000, as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We encourage all residents to dedicate <br />themselves to learning about reducing domestic violence and violence against women in Orange County. <br />We further encourage all citizens of our community to support the domestic violence programs in their <br />communities, including the Orange County Commission for Woman, the Family Violence Prevention <br />Center of Orange County, the Women's Center and the Rape Crisis Center. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />d. TEEN VOICES Peer Education Program <br />The Board considered a resolution to endorse the expansion of the TEEN VOICES peer <br />education program. <br />Robyn Schryer, Peer Education Coordinator from Planned Parenthood was available to <br />answer questions about the program. <br />Chair Carey asked to what extent this program and activities associated with it have been <br />coordinated with other teen activities in the County. Robyn Schryer said that the program is an <br />adolescent pregnancy prevention and youth development program to serve Durham County high school <br />students ages 14-18. It is an intensive training program that, when completed, allows the students to <br />earn $200. The students are urged to share the information with at least 30 other people and earn an <br />additional $100. They are excited about the possibility of expanding this program to Orange County. In <br />Durham County, they have been extremely successful in coordinating with other teen services <br />organizations. They are seeking collaborative efforts with other organizations in Orange County as well. <br />In answer to a question from Commissioner Brown, Robyn Schryer said that all students in <br />Orange County are eligible. It is a commitment of 40 hours of training over athree-month time period. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis asked for a report on the number of programs for teens in Orange <br />County. He would like to know how many agencies there are with this very worthwhile focus. <br />