Monday, November 12, 2012

Ways to Speak Out – A Guest Post

Today I’m hosting the gals from over at Moxie Writers for the Speak Out Against Book Tour, bringing awareness to the issues of bullying and teen dating violence. Authors Rebecca Green Gasper and Susan Oloier write about those topics in their books Break From You and Outcast. I am excited to help raise awareness for these issues on this blog tour for my friends and loved ones who have fallen victim to bullying and abuse.

Every year, millions of youth will become victims of violence. Some of the most common forms of violence are bullying and dating abuse.

One in four teens will be bullied, and one in three teens will become a victim of dating violence.

And the problems are all too often ignored. Eighty-five percent of the time no one will intervene with bullying, and over eighty-one percent of parents believe that dating abuse is not a problem.

Here are ways to speak out against teen violence:

- Learn about the facts
- Treat others with respect
- Be a good example
- Keep your friends accountable
- Learn about the resources in your community and online
- Volunteer
- Write letters to elected officers
- Wear t-shirts, bracelets, etc. to raise awareness
- Get involved in local and online campaigns
- Get help if you or someone you know is a victim

Some online campaigns to check out include the “No More” campaign, “The Love” campaign, the “I Choose Anti-Bullying” campaign, and the “No Matter” campaign.

Our new releases…

Outcast by Susan Oloier

Noelle dreams of a different life, one where Trina Brockwell doesn’t exist. Trina has bullied Noelle since junior high. Now she’s tired of it. With the help of her black-sheep aunt and a defiant new classmate, Noelle seeks revenge. But vengeance comes with a price: Noelle risks friendship, her first love, and herself to get back at those who have wronged her.

Break From You by Rebecca Green Gasper

Love shouldn’t hurt this much…Brooke Myers wants to believe she has it all: the perfect guy, the perfect relationship, the perfect life. She wants to believe it so much that she's willing to overlook the fear, the isolation, and the pain her boyfriend has caused her. She knows it isn't right but tells herself that love isn't always easy. However, when a fire destroys the restaurant during homecoming dinner, she forms an instant bond with the boy who saves her, one her boyfriend wouldn’t like. With the pain of a concussion reminding her of how bad things can get, she is forced to re-evaluate the relationship she has with her boyfriend and face the ghosts that haunt her. Brooke once believed love was all it took…but is it enough? Is it truly love when you've lost yourself in it?
 
Thank you to Susan and Rebecca for stopping by my blog today! Be sure to check out all of their links and to see the rest of the stops on the Speak Out Against Book Tour here.

You can find Outcast on Amazon and Smashwords and follow Susan's blog here, or find her on Goodreads. You can also find Break From You on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble. Follow Rebecca's blog here, or find her on Goodreads


19 comments:

  1. So scary what kids have to deal with today.

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    1. Thanks for hosting us today, Amanda, and for helping us get the word out about teenage dating violence and bullying.

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    2. I have cousins and siblings still in these formative years and the pressures they're put under blows my mind.

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    3. Oh, and you're welcome Susan! Thanks for being a guest!

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  2. Kids just get more and more mean. I'm glad people are raising awareness!

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    1. Bullying and dating violence is a serious issue and I hope more and more people will become aware of just how serious.

      Thanks for stopping by today Felicia!

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  3. Amanda, Thank you so much for hosting our Speak Out Against...tour and helping us raise awareness on teen violence.

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    1. Sure thing Rebecca! Thanks for thinking of me when putting this thing together - good luck on the rest of the tour :)

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    2. Of course, you're an amazing writing and I'm looking forward to reading more of your work. So excited about your completed work and that you are NaNo'ing now.

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  5. Hi, Amanda,

    Nice to meet you. This subject needs to be discussed. Parents should be more aware. I believe kids are so much meaner these days is because parents are not involved enough, or teaching their kids respect for others and our environment.

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    1. In many ways, I grew up isolated from the rest of the world. It wasn't until I was much older that I understood and became thankful for my parent's decision to homeschool me.

      As an adult, and seeing my younger cousins go through the public school system and knowing many high school kids through my job, I can easily see which parents are teaching their kids respect at home and which ones are not.

      I agree in that it is unfortunate that more people don't seem to get how important a role they play in their children's lives.

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    2. I agree, so much of it starts at home. It is so important to talk and teach children. And you're right- it's about respect and caring for other, too.

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    3. Though my kiddos are in public school (sometimes I cringe at that notion), I believe my husband and I teach them respect and compassion for others. It's a huge part of being a positive member of our society.

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  6. This is a wonderful post. Just stopping by to look around.
    Thank you!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed TammyAnn! Thank you for stopping by!

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  7. The further we get from our animal roots... hmm. That isn't going to fly everywhere. I'll try again.

    The further we get from our tribal roots, as humans, the bigger this problem becomes. Humans are not at their best in groups much bigger than an extended family. What you learned growing up in relative isolation is very difficult to replicate in the middle of a city.

    Assuming that the behaviour of humans largely replicates the troop behaviour that is seen in (other) primates, problems mainly arise when individuals have to leave the group. In primates this can be for many diverse reasons, though usually it is because young males are forced out. The principle is similar, regardless of how you regard the bond between human beings and primates. The primary social group still exists, but now elements of it are outside of its control - should this only be a soft control, purely psychological in nature.

    Members outside the group have little to lose, because they have no status to gain or throw away. Status exists within the group, and is only meaningful within a close group. That's also why there are so many dramas in High School. It's a lot of posturing for meaningless status with no real resolution.

    Fast-forwarding to today we have a situation where the vast bulk of people have been cut loose from their troops and any attempt to hang old-fashioned values off a family tree that has been chopped to the ground is doomed to failure.

    I applaud this initiative because too often attempts to cure similar problems take a top down approach. It's trying to fix a dying apple tree by shining the leaves. You need to get to the root of the matter and make sure these kids respect their elders or they'll never respect themselves or each other.

    Thank you for giving your time to such a worthy project.

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    1. "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." -- Henry David Thoreau.

      Thanks for commenting Anton!

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