Published January 4, 2013

Verizon Foundation Funds ASIA Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Program

For Immediate Release
January 4, 2013

Download this release.

Contact: Kitty Leung; kitty.leung@asiaohio.org; (216) 881-0330 x202
Deborah Wang; dwang@asiaohio.org; (330) 645-5805

Verizon Foundation Funds ASIA Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Program

CLEVELAND – The Verizon Foundation has awarded a $6,000 grant to Asian Services In Action, Inc.’s (ASIA) Teen Peer Advocates (TPA) project.  TPA is a project to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault (DV/SA) among young Asian Pacific Islander (API) women and their allies by targeting the cultural influences and stereotypes which make young API women vulnerable to dating violence and sexual assault.

Teen Peer Advocates will be composed of three components: Peer Advocacy, Outreach and Education, and the Empowerment Group.  All three project components will function to expose harmful media messages and stereotypes, promote the characteristics of healthy relationships, and raise awareness around issues of depression and suicide.

Teen Peer Advocates will build a youth-driven community while offering a positive, empowered cultural and ethnic identity to young API women by:

  • Providing a safe and supportive space (Empowerment Group) for young API women and their allies
  • Holding weekly after-school facilitated meetings with trained social workers
  • Conducting trainings to support DV/SA prevention advocacy and leadership
  • Linking and referring young women to DV/SA and other services
  • Running TPA community outreach/education projects

The Teen Peer Advocates project will serve 40 young women and their allies.  To learn more or to get involved, contact Children, Youth, and Family Manager Kitty Leung at kitty.leung@asiaohio.org or (216) 881-0330 x202.

Click here to see public service announcements about domestic violence on Verizon’s YouTube Channel.  Click here to learn more about Your Voice Counts, the Verizon Foundation’s domestic violence awareness campaign.

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Asian Services In Action
Founded in 1995, Asian Services In Action’s mission is to is to empower and advocate for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs); and to provide AAPIs access to quality, culturally, and linguistically appropriate information and services. Visit www.asiaohio.org to learn more. Follow ASIA on Facebook and Twitter!

Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation is focused on using technology to solve critical social issues in the areas of sustainability, education, and healthcare. Through the support of its employees and resources, the Verizon Foundation helps address the needs of communities around the world.