February 28, 2013

SafeToTalk Aims to Decrease Teen Dating Violence

SafeToTalk Logo
 
A tip was submitted to SafeToTalk, the anonymous school tip line, concerning a high school cheerleader who was being abused by her boyfriend. SafeToTalk wishes to help decrease teen dating violence through communication.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) - Feb. 27, 2013 - DRAPER, Utah -- As the end of February approaches, the anonymous school tip line, SafeToTalk, hopes to make a final push towards teen dating violence awareness. February is national ‘Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month,’ which means that now is a great time for parents and schools to talk to teens about safety while dating.

Many teens appear to be happy, but are actually suffering from dating abuse. TheCloseLineProject.org, states that approximately 1 in 5 female high school students have been physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner, and over 20% of all homicides against females ages 16-19 were committed by an intimate partner.

SafeToTalk is currently being utilized in over 1300 schools across the country. It receives hundreds of tips from students and parents each day regarding safety issues, including teen dating violence.

Recently, a tip was submitted concerning a high school cheerleader who was seen in the locker room with bruises all over her back. The school responded to the tip immediately and learned that the girl was in an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend had been beating her when she refused to consent to his sexual requests. The school was able to help relieve the teen of the abusive relationship and assist in her rehabilitation. Many administrators throughout the nation are relying on school tip lines to help with situations just like this.

“We receive a handful of tips each week,” said Sydney Hackford, Assistant Principal, Lone Peak High School, Highland, UT. “I’m convinced that some of the tips we’ve received have saved lives. Not all of the tips are life and death situations, but they definitely help make our school safer.”

Although SafeToTalk works hard to encourage students to report safety tips, parents need to be actively involved in their teen’s relationships. The Empower Program’s teen abuse guide reports that over 54 percent of parents have not talked to their teens about dating abuse. In order to protect teens, parents need to communicate with them about how to stay safe while dating, and how to get help for abuse.

About SafeToTalk

SafeToTalk helps break the silence barrier between students and school faculty throughout the nation. The anonymous tip line allows students to report incidents of school violence, bullying, drugs, weapons, and other safety concerns via text or web submission. Kids become the eyes and ears of school administration, protecting themselves and their friends from unsafe situations.

--- End ---

Now Entrepreneurs from Anywhere in the World Can Pitch Directly to Silicon Valley Investors

Startup Icon Entrepreneurs
Startup Icon will be biggest global entrepreneurial competition of 2013, where entrepreneurs from anywhere in the world will be able to pitch to elite investors as Tim Draper or Nolan Bushnell among many others. It will be launched in March at Sxsw

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) - Feb. 24, 2013 - Startup Icon is a web based competition where entrepreneurs from anywhere in the world will have the opportunity to pitch to elite Silicon Valley investors via remote connection without leaving their city. On the other hand it expands the reach of investors to projects around the world.

The competition represents a “Silicon Valley without borders”.

Hundreds of entrepreneurs go through pre-­qualifying phase where once registered they need to find new users in a highly engaging gamified process. Only the 64 projects with more new users will enter the competition. These projects will have the opportunity to pitch to investors in an elimination process similar to the NCAA basketball tournament until there is a winner.

The competition addresses 2 of the main barriers to success for startups: Access to investors and traction (users) generation.

Startup Icon already counts with the participation of elite investors such as: Tim Draper (Founder of DFJ investment fund), Nolan Bushnell (Founder of Atari), Bill Reichert (Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures) and Jason Mendelson (Co-­founder of Foundry group).

The pre-­qualifying phase starts in March 2013 and the competition with the Top 64 projects in May 2013.

Entrepreneurs can register at www.startupicon.tv

Find them at:

• Sxsw interactive, March 8th -12th

•Facebook: www.facebook.com/startupicon

•Twitter: @StartupiconUS

Are you interested in becoming a judge or a sponsor? Contact them at alberto@startupicon.tv

      About Startup Icon – Startup Icon rights and intelectual property are owned by Agora Technologies Inc. (USA).  Agora Technologies has an all-star leadership team which has created technology startups, turned them into market leaders, and excelled at companies such as: Autodesk, Atari, Nintendo, Monster.com, and Sun Micro Systems. This team is supported by an equally impressive board of advisers with credentials from: Adobe, Bell Labs, Compaq, CIA, Dorsey & Whitney, and even the founder of both Atari and Chuck E. Cheese.

Photos:
http://www.prlog.org/12084903/1
http://www.prlog.org/12084903/2
http://www.prlog.org/12084903/3
http://www.prlog.org/12084903/4
http://www.prlog.org/12084903/5

--- End ---