To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: Proclaim March 2026 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT a resolution proclaiming March 2026 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in Contra Costa County, as recommended by the Employment & Human Services Director.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact for this action.
BACKGROUND:
February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAM). This is an issue that impacts everyone, not just teens. Their parents, teachers, friends, and communities are also impacted. Together, we can raise the nation's awareness about teen dating violence and promote safe and healthy relationships.
Nationwide, youth aged 12 to 19 experience the highest rates of rape and sexual assault. Studies showed that approximately 10% of adolescents report being the victim of physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Girls are particularly vulnerable to experiencing violence in their relationships and are more likely to suffer long-term behavioral and health consequences including suicide attempts, eating disorders and drug use.
Adolescents in abusive relationships often carry these unhealthy patterns of violence into future relationships. Children who are victimized or witness violence frequently bring this experience with them to the playground, classroom, later into teen relationships and ultimately, they can end up the victims and perpetrators of adult intimate partner violence.
The Employment and Human Services Department’s Alliance to End Abuse Division, which carries out this Board of Supervisors’ policy to end interpersonal violence in Contra Costa County supports programs that focus on teen dating violence prevention including the Youth Education Supportive Services program at Stand! For Families Free of Violence. This proclamation provides an opportunity for the Board of Supervisors to hear about the important work of youth leaders and trusted adult allies in preventing teen dating violence and promoting healthy relationships in Contra Costa County. Recognizing and participating in Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month is one way Contra Costa County can help to break the cycle of violence.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The County will not bring attention to this serious issue.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
This resolution supports all five of Contra Costa County’s community outcomes of the Children’s Report Card: (1) “Children Ready for and Succeeding in School”; (2) “Children and Youth Healthy and Preparing for Productive Adulthood”; (3) “Families that are Economically Self-Sufficient”; (4) “Families that are Safe, Stable and Nurturing”; and (5) “Communities that are Safe and Provide a High Quality of Life for Children and Families.”
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
In the matter of proclaiming March 2026 as
Teen Dating Violence and Prevention Month in Contra Costa County:
WHEREAS, teen dating violence is a serious public health issue defined as physical, psychological, or sexual abuse; harassment; or stalking of any person ages 12 to 18 in a past or present romantic or consensual relationship; and
WHEREAS, survivors of teen dating violence have increased risk for truancy, dropout, teen pregnancy, suicide, having eating disorders, and engaging in other harmful behaviors such as use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs;i and
WHEREAS, teen dating violence is linked to bullying, sexual harassment, sexual violence, physical violence, and other forms of violence against peers, as high school youth survivors are at higher risk for victimization during college, and teen perpetrators of dating violence are more likely to abuse their intimate partners as adults;ii and
WHEREAS, the Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse recognizes that teen dating violence is preventable through efforts that foster caring relationships with adults and peers, and the Alliance supports several prevention programs like STAND! For Families Free of Violence’s Youth Education Supportive Services (YESS) that help ensure a safe learning environment for all youth; promote resilience and positive youth development; and protect youth from abuse in relationships; and
WHEREAS, during the 2024-25 school year, STAND!’s YESS program educated 227 high school youth about teen dating violence through classroom presentations and tabling events; completed 8 presentations to teachers and school staff about the scope and causes of dating violence, and healthy dating relationships; held twenty 10-week long gender-based support groups at five high schools serving more than 250 students; and conducted outreach to more than 130 youth experiencing or at risk for teen dating violence; and
WHEREAS, more than 1100 youth and adult allies participated in STAND!’s Youth Against Violence Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Campaign events, in which teen leaders from several high schools highlighted the ways in which abuse can occur using various forms of technology.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Contra Costa County does hereby proclaim the month of February 2026 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and encourages all to participate in activities that raise awareness about the dynamics of teen dating violence and empower teens to develop healthy and safe relationships throughout their lives.
i Silverman, J.G., Raj, A., Mucci, L.A., & Hathaway, J.E. 2001. Dating violence against adolescent girls and associated substance use, unhealthy weight control, sexual risk behavior, pregnancy, and suicidality. Journal of the American Medical Association 286 (5): 572-579
ii Smith PH, White JW, Holland LJ. (2003). A longitudinal perspective on dating violence among adolescent and college-age women. American Journal of Public Health; 93(7):1104-1109
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